Is there hope?
by Ellabee15
Summary: A rainstorm returns a piece of Bruce's past to Gotham...Along with new surprises.
1. Chapter 1

Lightning flashed and rain battered the windows of the Batmobile. Bruce's eyes narrowed as he observed the violent weather. Not unusual for Gotham, but unexpected for tonight. Something was wrong. There was an explanation his traitorous mind whispered, but he shoved the thought aside. It was wishful thinking; he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement, it was probably something mundane. Hugo Strange was at large and was definitely smart enough to build a weather manipulation machine, given the right materials. It wasn't necessarily her.

A flash of lightning illuminated a thing strip of the night sky, briefly showing him a woman flying in the clouds. Bruce's lips tightened. He'd been wrong to mistrust his instincts. He exited the Batmobile and climbed a nearby building. Going from rooftop, to rooftop he attempted to get closer. Something was wrong; Now that he was outside, he could hear the wind howling as though it was in pain and the rain battered his face as though the sky was weeping upon the earth. Her ability was tied to her emotions and she had to be in extreme pain to cause something like this.

"STORM." He shouted up at her. The weather witch was floating above a building 2 roofs away from Bruce's current position. Her eyes were white and he knew she was lost in her power, unaware of anything around her. "Ororo." He said softly. Shooting a grapple line, he swung to the building under where Ororo was floating. He was almost thrown back by the force of the winds surrounding the eye; surrounding Ororo. Letting go of the line, he gripped the side of the building. Hauling himself up to the roof, he looked up at her. The next lightning flash showed him a sight that shook him to his core. The front of her uniform was drenched in blood.

There was a thunderclap so loud that Bruce could feel it vibrating in his bones. It was accompanied by a shriek and Ororo began plummeting. Bruce rushed forward and caught her before she fell on the ground. He knelt, holding her against him. The blood on her uniform was bizarre. Some of it was hers, but much of it didn't appear to be human. She was also light…too light. He held her close and activated his com.

"Alfred." He growled.

"Yes, Batman." Alfred replied.

"Prep the emergency medical kit." He ordered.

"Yes, Master Bruce." Alfred said. "What type of injuries did you sustain?"

"It's not me." He said, cutting the com. Pressing a button on his utility belt, summoning the Batmobile to the street below. Holding Ororo close, he jumped down. Opening the roof, he put her in the back seat of the car, making sure she was secure before jumping into the driver's seat and pulling away. Tearing through Gotham, he noted the way the sky seemed to clear. Either Ororo had calmed down or she wasn't strong enough to maintain the storm. He hoped it wasn't the second option. Pulling into the Batcave, he pushed the roof open, the automatic mechanism not opening fast enough for him. Alfred was waiting for him and helped him take Ororo from the backseat.

"I saw the weather reports and suspected…." Alfred said; he faltered momentarily when he took in the state of Ororo's clothes and the blood trickling from her front. They put her on the med table and Alfred fell into medic mode, removing the X uniform to survey the damage.

"Did Mrs. Ororo tell you what caused these injuries?" He asked.

"She wasn't in any condition to talk." Bruce said, his eyes darkened with anger as the removal of the material revealed large whip like gashes on her arms, chest and back. There were bruises, discolorations and evidence of other injuries. Her skin was also dull, lacking its usual healthy glow, making her seem faded even gray; she was clearly malnourished.

"Some of these aren't fresh." Alfred murmured quietly. "I'd estimate some of them are about 2 months old. She's also lost a large amount of weight."

Bruce looked at the table. "Help her." he said, his voice hoarse, pleading. Alfred nodded.

"Perhaps you should contact the X-Men." He suggested as he pulled on gloves and began treating her wounds.

"Oh they'll be hearing from me." Bruce turned around and made his way to the cave's computers. Hitting a few buttons he opened a channel to the Xavier institute. After a few seconds the image of Wolverine came up on the screen.

"What do you want, Bat?" He grumbled. Bruce felt a surge of satisfaction that the bad tempered mutant had answered and not the professor. He had great respect for Professor X and didn't feel like arguing with him. Logan was another story.

"When were you planning on telling me that Ororo was missing?" He asked, his voice dangerously soft. Logan looked at him in surprise

"Did you find her?" He asked.

"I asked you a question." Bruce said.

"Where is she?" Logan asked, sticking his face closer to the camera. Bruce noted that his eyes were bloodshot and his face harried and haunted. He was one of Ororo's closest friends and if she'd been kidnapped it would have been terrible for him. Bruce remained expressionless.

"Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me?' He said slowly.

"It was mutant business." Logan retorted. "Plus you made it really clear that Ororo wasn't a priority for you."

Bruce recoiled. "I had a right to know." he said.

"You lost that right the second you didn't go after her when she left." Logan hissed. "Besides there was nothing you could have done. Azazel snatched her and we didn't know where he'd taken her. The last thing we needed was your rich boy problems."

Bruce closed his eyes. "She's with me." he said, glancing back to where Alfred was still working on her. "Stay out of my city."

"Wait just a-"

Bruce cut the transmission and turned back to the med table. Lowering his cowl and taking off his gloves, he went to help Alfred. It hurt him to look at her this way; weakened, gaunt.

"Wolverine said Azazel kidnapped her." He said, covering her with his cape after they finished.

"Magneto?" Alfred said. Bruce frowned. Azazel was usually in league with the metal manipulator, but it was unlike Magneto to torture fellow Mutants.

He put his fists on the edge of the table and leaned against it, surveying Ororo's breathing.

"Will the X-Men come to take her back to the institute?" Alfred

"No."

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Until I know what happened and why she's staying with me." He insisted.

"Perhaps it would not be wise to alienate the X-men should you have need of their assistance?" Alfred suggested.

Bruce ignored him. Slipping his arms under Ororo, he lifted her into his arms, tucking the cape securely around her. She was too light. She let out a small groan of protest and pressed her face against his chest, but didn't wake. He carried her out of the Batcave. As the clock closed behind him he heard Alfred answer his cellphone with a hushed; "Hello, Charles."

He placed Ororo on his bed and, taking off the cape, grabbed a pair of his boxers and a t shirt. He dressed her gently so as to not burst her stitches. How many times had she done the same for him? Looking at her sleeping form as he tucked her into the bed he knew why she'd gone. Why she'd had enough. He'd only seen her broken this way once and he was ready to trap her in the Manor and shut out the world to keep her from ever getting hurt.

Sitting in the chair opposite the bed he watched her while going over ways to track Azazel. What had he done to her? And why?

 ** _"You're killing yourself Bruce." She was looking down at him, standing at his bedside. Her clothes were bloodstained from helping Alfred stitch him up again. There were angry tears in her eyes._**

 ** _"I'm doing what is necessary." He said._**

 ** _"How is this-" she motioned to his broken ribs, broken leg and dislocated shoulder. "Necessary."_**

 ** _"Gotham needs me." He insisted. "You don't understand."_**

 ** _"You're no good to Gotham as either Batman or Bruce Wayne if you continue being so reckless." She was angry. "You should have called me."_**

 ** _Bruce knew she was right. Knew that he was getting too old to don the cowl and the physical exertion was beginning to weigh on him. But a part of him needed to be Batman. He knew he couldn't survive without it, just as she couldn't survive caged without the ability to fly._**

 ** _"I need you too, Bruce." She said, putting her hand on his cheek. He'd frozen and looked away. She exhaled, slowly. "I need you, but I'm done having this argument. You may want to die, but I don't have to watch you do it."_**

 _ **She was gone. She'd left and he hadn't followed. He'd spent his life fighting to give justice to strangers but he couldn't bring himself to fight for himself and the woman he loved.**_

Bruce jerked awake, the dream…memory leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd fallen asleep. Looking over at Ororo, he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd had the dream consistently for the last few months, but each time he'd woken up to an empty bed. This time she was here. The moonlight flitering through the window glinted on her hand and Bruce felt a wrenching in his stomach as he saw that she'd kept wearing her wedding ring. He'd never taken his off; keeping it as a constant reminder of the price he'd paid for the Batman. Getting to his feet he walked over to the bed, he slipped his fingers through hers, a strange sense of tranquility flowing through him. It was almost as if a missing piece had fallen into place, making him whole.

Alfred entered the room, carrying a tray with fresh bandages, water and a thermos of soup.

"I spoke to Professor Xavier." He said, his voice hushed. Bruce didn't reply. The old butler continued. "He is relieved that Ororo is safe and has a request. While he understands your reticence towards having the X-Men come to take her to the mansion, he wonders if he could bring Ororo's son to live with his mother."

Bruce tore his eyes away from Ororo and turned to Alfred. "Her what?" he asked.

"Her son." Alfred repeated calmly. "A bright boy, according to Charles. He's only a year old." He fell silent, waiting for Bruce to do the math.

"She was pregnant when she left." He said, looking back at her. "Why wouldn't see tell me?"

"Perhaps because she didn't want another Wayne boy forced to watch his father die." Alfred suggested. Bruce stiffened.

"That wasn't her choice to make." He growled.

"A conversation better had with her." Alfred said. "After she's regained her strength." He placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Charles told me something else as well. She still loves you Bruce…leaving you was the hardest decision she ever made. There's still time to fix this."

Bruce pressed his lips into a hard line. "You just want her back here."

Alfred nodded. "It is true that the Manor does seem like a gloomy abandoned house without her around. An impression that I'm sure you agree with, Master Bruce." He glanced at Ororo. "I told Charles that he could arrive in time for afternoon tea. Hopefully Mistress Ororo will be well enough to scoff at us for being stuffy old Englishmen." Bruce felt a smile playing at his lips at the thought of his wife's singular teasing humor.

"She will." He said confidently. Alfred set the tray down and left. Bruce lay down next to Ororo and propped his head up on his arm, watching her. She was muttering in her sleep, upset, angry. She repeated whispers of "no, don't take him" and "where is he?" Bruce hesitated before taking her hand in his, she seemed to relax a bit, then let out a strangled gasp as she her face collapsed into an expression of regret. "gone." She whispered.

It wasn't until noon that she woke. She stirred slightly, then jerked up, her eyes wide, fearful, and angry.

"Ororo." Bruce said, sitting up and trying to calm her. She turned, her eyes going white and the sky outside darkening. "It's me, you're safe." She paused, tilting her head. Then the white slowly left her eyes as the sky outside cleared.

"Bruce." She said softly. Tears began falling. "I'm sorry; I fought them, but…." She collapsed in his arms. "They killed him. They killed our son."

Bruce held her. "Alfred talked to Professor Xavier. He said that the boy's still alive." He felt weird saying the boy, but he had been so thrown by the knowledge that he had a son that he hadn't thought to ask for his name. "He's alive, Ororo."

Ororo covered her mouth, her tears redoubling.

"What happened?" Bruce asked.

"Azazel." Ororo said. "He was enslaved by Mojo; a creature who lives in a parallel dimension and forces kidnapped beings to compete in gladiatorial matches. I was with Bakari when Azazel showed up…I thought he'd taken him as well. Mojo…he forced me to fight in the matches all the while promising me that I would see my son if I gave him a good show. He…every night in my cell he'd play footage of Bakari. Then…one day I demanded to see him and….he showed me a bloody body. I wasn't sure it was him, but before I could get closer, Mojo set fire to him and I lost control…" Her breathing became short and she shook. Bruce held her and placed his head on top of hers. "I… killed him and everyone who stood in my way." She said, her voice empty. "I only kept Azazel alive so I could teleport back to our dimension." She closed her eyes. "I…I killed them all." She retched and leaned over the side of the bed. Her stomach was empty so she only spit up bile. Bruce held her hair and grabbed a corner of the bedsheet to wipe her mouth. Then he grabbed a glass from the tray Alfred had brought in and poured her some water.

"Drink this." He said. "Then there's food, you need it to build up your strength."

"I killed them." she said. Bruce could only imagine what she was going through. Ororo placed value on life in all its forms. She was a strict vegetarian and only used violence when necessary. The amount of torture she must have gone through to snap and violate her beliefs was unfathomable.

"I would probably have done the same thing." He said softly as she gulped down the water.

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better." She said, her tone flat.

"If there's one person in any dimension that I would never lie to it's you." Bruce said. He opened the thermos to see that Alfred had made her favorite lentil soup. He poured it into a bowl. "Charles is coming by later and he's bringing…Bakari."

Ororo accepted the bowl, looking into it

"I wanted to tell you about him." She said. "Every day I picked up the phone to call you, but I couldn't take the chance…I didn't want him hurt like I was watching you put yourself through hell. And I knew you'd give up the cowl if I called, but I also knew that a part of you would always resent being forced." She closed her eyes. "I loved him too much and I guess I was too proud." She put a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

Bruce watched her silently before saying. "I haven't slept here in months." Ororo looked up at him in confusion. "I…couldn't. I'm not going to pretend that I've been the best husband. I've definitely not been the one you deserve. But…I could sleep here without you because ever since my parents died this has been a place to fall asleep and keep up the façade of Bruce Wayne; you made it a home." He felt a weight lift as the darkness that had settled deeper within him since her departure lightened a bit. "It was the second time in my life I'd lost a home and this time it was entirely my fault." He closed his eyes. "You're probably tired, you need to rest. Charles will be here soon."

He was about to move away when Ororo grabbed his hand. "Stay with me." She asked.

He nodded, moving to sit next to her on the bed, draping his arm across her shoulders as she leaned her head on his lap. It was a familiar position. They'd spent many nights like this when he stayed home looking over Wayne Enterprises business while she read a book, or distracted him with more interesting things than office briefs and paperwork. He didn't want this to end. He wanted those days back. He wanted to feel the sun and happiness she brough to his life; he just wasn't sure he was ready to pay the price for it.

"Why?" He asked softly. Sky blue eyes looked up into his. "Why did you come to Gotham?"

She looked away. "I wanted…when I thought Bakari was dead I wanted to be close to the only part of him that was left." She murmured. "Is there hope for us, Bruce?" She asked.

He didn't have an answer. She closed her eyes; her breathing slowed as she slipped into sleep. He didn't know how much time had passed before Alfred poked his head in.

"Professor Xavier has arrived." He said. Bruce gently shook Ororo awake. She seemed disoriented, but quickly regained her composure.

"He's here?" She asked. Bruce nodded. She tried to scramble out of bed, but swayed unsteadily on her feet. Bruce jumped up behind her and held her to help her balance.

"Slowly." He said. "You don't want to pull your stitches" Ororo glared at him. "I just want you to be careful." He said, realizing the irony of the situation. The roles really had been reversed. Alfred chuckled.

"I believe there is a metaphor about kettles and pots that is appropriate for this moment." He said.

A smile played on Ororo's lips. "Alfred, I need to see my son." She said.

The old butler nodded. "He is waiting for you in the living room."

Ororo pushed away Bruce's hand and walked to the door. The knowledge that her…their son was close seemed to have relit her determination and she drew strength from it. There was a fire burning in her eyes. Bruce followed her out of the room, ready to catch her or assist her if she needed it. The walk through the Manor to the living room was done in silence. Finally they made it to the door of the living room. Inside Professor X was sitting with Jean Grey. On the ground in front of them was a small brown skinned black haired toddler. He was holding a block in his hands that had a different color for each side. Jean was pointing to the colors and saying their names, only to giggle helplessly as the child put his mouth on the block.

Ororo had frozen in the doorway, looking at him transfixed. A small sob came out of her mouth. At the noise the boy looked up in surprise. Bruce saw that instead of his mouth's sky blue eyes he'd inherited his own darker ocean blue. "Ma?' the boy tilted his head and smiled. She rushed towards him, collapsing on her knees in front of him and gathering him in her arms.

"Forgive me." she said, pressing kisses to his face and neck, holding him tight. The boy put his arms around her neck, fisting his hand in her hair while still clutching his block.

"Ma." He repeated.

"He's been asking for you." Jean said. Ororo's shoulders shook and Bruce knew she was crying. He moved forward. As if sensing his approach Bakari looked up and stared at him. Bruce was thrown by how much the boy resembled him. He knelt behind Ororo. She turned and looked at him, then gently nudged Bakari so he would look at Bruce. He buried his head in her neck, refusing to acknowledge her request.

"He's stubborn." Ororo murmured.

"He's a Wayne." Alfred said. Bruce shot him a look, before turning his attention back to his wife and son. Holding out his hand, he watched as Bakari peeked at him. Then he handed Bruce his block.

"You asked me if there was hope." Bruce said, looking at Ororo who had fresh tears falling from her eyes at their interaction. "I'd like to believe there is."


	2. Chapter 2

This was definitely the part of her marriage she hadn't missed, Ororo thought to herself as she and Bakari stood next to Bruce in the center of the Wayne Foundation gala. Bruce was talking to some political official who was being overly polite while nervoulsy dancing around the elephant in the room. Gotham society had always hated her, but now that she'd disappeared for over a year and returned with Bruce's son in tow, the resentment had gotten infinitely worse. The words illegitimate, bastard, and gold digger were being whispered around the room, though none of them dared say them to Ororo's face. The people glared at Bakari, though it was impossible to deny the relation. Besides the skin tone, Bakari was the spitting image of Bruce, a fact reinforced by the way he was looking up at Bruce and trying to emulate his father's mannerisms.

Judge MacCalister and his wife...Helena? Harriet? Eileen? were next. Ororo put a fake smile on her face as they approached. "Bruce." She murmured out of the corner of her mouth. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Bruce raised an amused eyebrow. "5 more minutes." He whispered back. "Then we can move into the main ballroom."

"Ball!" Bakari said, grinning up at his father. Bruce's socialite smile slipped and for a moment a genuine look of happiness crossed his features. He bent downward and picked Bakari up, swinging him around, before holding him close. Bakari laughed and put his arms around Bruce's neck, pressing his face onto Bruce's shoulder.

Judge MacCalister stopped in front of them, his wife's lips pursed into a thin, disapproving line.

"Bruce." The judge said. "Is this the boy?"

"Yes." Bruce replied, an annoyed flash in his eyes. "This is our son." He'd noted that the judge had ignored Ororo, and put emphasis on the word our. Ororo gave the MacCalister's a smile.

"We're so glad to hear you'd returned to Gotham, Mrs. Wayne." Mrs. MacCalister said. Her voice had a slight edge to it. Ororo's eyes narrowed.

"I'm happy to be back." She said, focusing her attention on Bruce and Bakari. Bruce shifted his hold on Bakari so he was holding him on his right side and reached his left arm out to Ororo. Ororo stepped forward and planted a kiss on Bruce's cheek. Bruce smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Bakari made a gurgling noise, and covered his eyes. They broke apart, Ororo giving the MacCalisters a smug smile. Bruce nodded to them.

"Enjoy the gala." He said. They walked away, shooting disapproving looks over their shoulders. Ororo and Bruce watched them leave, then burst into laughter. "We still make a good team." Bruce said.

"Yes we do." Ororo agreed, and for a second the prospect of being stuck at the party for another few hours didn't seem so bad.

Bakari pouted and tugged on Bruce's suit, trying to get back down. Ororo took him from Bruce's arms and planted a big kiss on his cheek before putting him down. He wiped his cheek and ran across the room.

"Bakari!" Ororo called after him as he made a beeline for the dessert table. Jean, who was standing next to it, laughed.

I've got him. She smirked. You show that husband of yours what he's been missing.

Ororo bit her lip. Ever since her captivity in Mojoworld, she'd had trouble letting Bakari out of her sight. Bruce understood and had put a bed for her in the room where Bakari slept, often coming in to sit with them. He'd also had someone come in and reevaluate the security of that wing of the house. Ororo knew it hadn't really been effective; security in Wayne Manor was top notch, but Bruce had meant it as a gesture to show that he cared about their safety.

Bruce held out his hand. "A dance, Mrs. Wayne?"

Ororo shot Jean and Bakari one last glance before nodding. "I think I'd like that, Mr. Wayne." She put her hand in his. He twirled her and pulled her close.

"These weren't the same without you." He murmured, pressing his cheek against hers.

"Well I'm sure the gossip wasn't nearly as exciting." Ororo commented. He snorted. She could feel the attention of the gala on her. Closing her eyes, she refused to look, or show that it was affecting her.

"They'll just have to deal with it, now that you're back." Bruce said, simply. She stiffened. He paused. They hadn't had a serious conversation about how long her stay at Wayne Manor would be. They hadn't discussed the reason she'd left in the first place and while Bruce hadn't donned the cowl since she'd returned, it was only a matter of time. She leaned closer to him, trying to ignore the overbearing reality encroaching on her happiness at being reunited with both her son and husband. Bruce squeezed her hand.

"Mr. Wayne." A board member said.

"In a minute, Claymore." Bruce said.

"It's about the Japan deal." He said.

Bruce closed his eyes and exhaled. Ororo pulled back. "Go ahead." She said.

"Guess it's time to practice my Japanese." He said, kissing Ororo on the cheek. "This'll only take a minute." He slowly let her hand slip from his, before walking away with Claymore.

Ororo watched him leave before grabbing a Champagne flute, then moved to the side of the gala. All around her the whispers followed. She held her head high and walked towards the balcony. She needed air; she needed the open sky. She slipped out, ready to enjoy her solitude when she caught sight of two other board members on the balcony. They hadn't noticed her; a fact that became very obvious when she overheard their conversation.

"So she's really back." The older man, smoking a cigar said.

"Obviously." The man with the thinning hair muttered. "Which is bad for us. Now that there's an alleged heir."

"Alleged?" The other main asked, mildly amused.

"Well until there's a DNA test I won't believe it." Thinning hair man replied. "And then I'll still question it."

Laughter. Ororo's fists clenched. A cloud covered the moon.

"We can't have those two around, she makes him too... caring and the boy..." Cigar man huffed. "Well could you imagine one day taking orders from someone like that?"

Thunder clapped. Ororo cleared her throat loudly. The men jumped.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" She said, smiling at them. Although no one knew that she was Storm, she couldn't resist adding a little dramatic flair. Having caught sight of her, the men looked at each other nervously. Then cigar man frowned.

"Yes it is...Mrs. Wayne." The acid with which he said it made her ill.

"I'm curious." She said, moving forward. "When you referred to my son as 'someone like that'." She made air quotes. "What did you mean?"

The man with the thinning hair's pose became more defensive.

"Just that he's not from Gotham...and neither are you."

Ororo let out a humorless laugh. "I think we all know the issue was never Gotham, but more about which side of the Atlantic I was born on." She tilted her head. "I'm Kenyan; my son is black and that makes you uncomfortable."

"Mrs. Wayne!" Cigar man dropped it to the ground. Thinning hair man pressed his lips into a hard line, his face turning red.

"You listen here." He began, raising a finger and putting it in her face. She tilted her head up, giving him an amused smile that made him grind his teeth. Then he stopped, his eyes widening as he looked behind her. "Mr. Wayne." He said, stepping back.

"Oh by all means." Bruce said, moving to stand next to Ororo. "Continue. I'm very intrigued by where this conversation was going." His voice had a hard edge to it. Thinning hair man gulped and shook his head. "You've got nothing to say." Brue feigned surprise and looked over at Ororo. "That's strange, it seemed to me that he was just dying to say something. Right Ororo?"

"Yes." Ororo agreed. "He was just bursting with it. I can't imagine what might have stopped him from talking."

Bruce's smile withered as he turned his full attention on the man in front of him, fixing him with a look that was a few shades away from the bat glare. Both men took involuntary steps back. Cigar man was shaking. "Because tonight is a celebration, I won't deal with the unpleasantness of reprimanding you, but don't be surprised if, over the course of the next few days you find your influence on the board dwindling and certain details about your personal lives leaked to the press."

Ororo put her hand on his arm. "You're terrifying." She chuckled as they walked away.

"I'm terrifying?" He raised an eyebrow. "If I hadn't shown up when I did I'm pretty sure a spontaneous tornado would have broken out on our balcony." Bakari ran over and buried his face into Ororo's skirt, distracting her from answering.

"Dance." He demanded, grabbing at her hand and pulling her forward. Bruce laughed.

"He's demanding isn't he?"

"I wonder where he gets it." Ororo replied, allowing Bakari to lead her to the floor. "After all; I know better than anyone just how broody you Wayne men are when you don't get your way."


	3. Chapter 3

They were skirting around the issue. Small fights would break out, only to quickly be hushed. In an attempt to keep peace the two of them had inadvertently turned the house into a battleground.

"Talk to her Master Bruce." Alfred said mournfully after another silent dinner where they'd barely said 2 words to each other, focusing all their attention on Bakari.

"I don't want her to leave again." Bruce said. "My being Batman is what made her leave the first time."

"Your unwillingness to compromise was what made her leave." Alfred corrected. "Imagine what your complete avoidance of the topic will result in."

Bruce glared at him, then sighed. Alfred was right; Ororo hadn't brought up the issue, because she was waiting for him to prove that he'd be willing to grow; that he was willing to address what had caused them to drift apart in the first place. He stood, making his way to Bakari's room. He opened, slipping silently into the room. Ororo was sleeping in the sofa next to Bakari's crib with her son crushed against her chest. Leaning against the door, Bruce felt a smile tugging at his lips. It was rare that he truly smiled, but ever since her return...and learning that he had a son, Bruce had found himself genuinely smiling more often. He sat on the bed he'd put in the room for Ororo to sleep in, thinking of the first time he'd met her.

* * *

" _Stay out of Gotham"_

 _It had been a simple enough instruction and yet here they were. He'd never met the X-Men, but he'd gathered information on them for months. The woman walking in the street below him was definitely Storm; the weather witch. Even though she was out of her combat suit, she was instantly recognizable; that snow white hair, the complete confidence and power in her walk. It was after dark in Gotham and she was at ease, unafraid. He followed her, jumping from building to building, watching Storm as she made her way down the street. She turned a corner. Bruce did as well, but when he looked down...she was gone. He frowned, looking around the area._

 _"Batman, I presume."_

 _He looked up and came face to face with the Weather witch. His mouth dried. She was floating in mid air; an air current buffeting her, making her hair billow around her. She smiled; aware of his distraction._

 _"Storm." He growled. "I thought I told Professor X to keep his students out of my city."_

 _"I'm not here to interfere." She said, simply._

 _"So then why are you here?" He asked._

 _"Vacation." She replied. He tilted his head. She chuckled, "I suppose that is a lame excuse." She sighed. "I actually came for a personal reason." She floated down to the rooftop and landed gracefully. Smiling up at him, she almost looked harmless...almost; he wasn't fooled. There was more power in one of her hands than in his entire arsenal. She was dangerous...and he didn't trust her._

 _"Personal?"_

 _She arched an elegant eyebrow. "You actually believe that I would divulge something about me to a complete stranger?" She said. "That doesn't seem very smart."_

 _"Neither is crossing me." Bruce pointed out._

 _"But I haven't." Ororo said. "I came here as myself, without any intent on interfering with you or your..." She motioned towards his suit. "Nighttime activities." She chuckled. "You are the one who was following me."_

 _He crossed his arms. "Preemptive measure. I don't know what your intentions are in Gotham."_

 _She shook her head. "Are you always so territorial?" she seemed amused. He frowned and didn't reply. "I come here not as Storm, but as Ororo Munroe." She smiled as his eyes widened. "There. I told you my secret identity."_

 _"Hardly secret." He said. "You're hard to miss in a crowd." It was the wrong thing to say; she chuckled in amusement._

 _"Are you saying you find me striking?" She gave him a look of pure innocence. He looked up at the sky. "My my. That was almost a compliment."_

 _"Just." He shook his head and moved over to the side of the building. "Just make sure you stay off my radar." He shot a grapple and jumped, but not before he heard her warm voice say:_

 _"Until next time, Batman."_

 _A part of him, he realized as he swung behind a gargoyle and watched her float down to the ground, actually looked forward to the meeting._

* * *

He was pulled from his musings by Ororo stirring. She opened her eyes and smiled when she caught sight of him. "What were you thinking about?" She asked.

"How did you know I was thinking?" He asked. She shifted into a more comfortable position without waking Bakari.

"Because that beautiful mind of yours is always up to something." She said. "And I always know when you've just been pulled from your brooding." she grinned as he looked at her in surprise. "You have a tell." she stage whispered.

"Oh?" He asked. "And what is it?"

"Ah." She gave him one of her enigmatic smiles. "Tell you and spoil my fun? Does that sound like me?" She stood and put Bakari into his crib. He fussed, but settled down without waking. She twirled one of his curls around her fingers, entranced by his sleeping face. Bruce came to stand next to her.

"I was thinking of the first time we met." He admitted. Ororo closed her eyes, a small smirk tugging at her mouth.

"You were rude." She said. Bruce sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I was suspicious."

"No. Logan is suspicious." Ororo said. "You were rude."

"Should I feel insulted that you just compared me to Wolverine?" He murmured.

"No." Ororo said, wrapping her arms around him and putting her chin on his shoulder. "You should take it as a compliment. There's few people who can out brood Logan."

Bruce looked back down at his sleeping son before saying. "There's something I think we should discuss."

Ororo bit her lip. Disentangling herself from him she checked over the windows, before walking out of the room. Bruce followed. They walked side by side to the living room. She sat in one of the armchairs and waited. Bruce walked over to the fireplace and looked up at the portrait of his parents.

"I wish they could have met you." He murmured. Turning his back on the past, he focused on the present; the woman sitting in front of him. She was calm, collected; her posture straight, her gaze direct. It was no surprise that she'd been worshiped. And he'd been the damned fool that had let her down. "We've been avoiding a certain...issue." He paused to make sure they were on the same page. Her look of amusement told him it was unnecessary. "I'm not giving up the Cowl...at least not yet." He closed his eyes. "When I started this, I had no idea that I'd make it this long. This mission of mine seemed to have one ending."

She didn't say anything, but he saw her eyes flicker downwards. He continued.

"That was before I met you. My life outside of Batman was a facade. A necessary subterfuge. My parents weren't the only ones who died in that alley. Bruce Wayne died with them; the man people saw after that became a carefully constructed image. He wasn't real." Bruce shook his head. "The cowl became my real face and Bruce Wayne the mask. But now..." He closed his eyes. "You balanced me. With you I had someone who not only understood Batman, but...all of a sudden Bruce Wayne wasn't only a mask." He paused. "Ororo I'm not sure how long it will take me, but I...I'm aware that the one end to the mission isn't acceptable anymore."

She closed her eyes. "Thank you, for saying that...and for the record. I...I don't expect you to completely give up the cowl, I've had some realizations of my own and I talked to Forge." She paused as Bruce glared. "It was purely business, Bruce." She shook her head. "You are so territorial."

"Business?" He asked.

"He sent over some new designs for a bat suit with a more reinforced outer shell."

Bruce crossed his arms. "I don't know if I like the idea of taking design suggestions from your ex."

Ororo crossed her arms. "I didn't like asking him for them, but you don't have to take them." She stood, putting a hand on his arm. "Thank you...this is going to take time, but I'm relieved that we're having this conversation." She gave it a squeeze. "I want this to work."

Bruce put his hand over hers. "I don't want to lose you again." He admitted; a moment of emotional vulnerability that he wouldn't have been comfortable sharing with anyone else besides Alfred. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but hesitated.

"I...I should check on Bakari and go to sleep." She pulled her hand from his and walked to the door. "Good night, Bruce."

"Good night, Ororo."


	4. Chapter 4

Ororo sat in the armchair and watched Bakari sleep. Her conversation with Bruce running through her mind. She smiled at her son.

"Do you have any idea how much we love you?" She whispered. "Your father's barely known you for a couple of months and he'd move his entire world for you." She smiled. Bruce seemed serious and part of her really wanted to believe him. He'd never before conceded this point. Never remotely considered the possibility of even scaling back on being Batman.

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, smiling at the idealism of the early days of their relationship. Bruce had been so closed, he still was, but every now and then he'd have moments of openness. Where she'd glimpse a crack in his armor. She knew that she was one of the privileged few who he'd allowed close enough to see.

Like that night, she mused, when he'd thought about his parents meeting her and the first time they'd met. He'd been nostalgic. She glanced over at Bakari. "I hope that when you meet the person you fall in love with, you won't be as rude as your father was." She said, amused. "He was particularly unpleasant." She smiled. "Yet I married him." She looked outside. The grounds were bathed in moonlight. The last few days had been unusually clear with sun streaming in and bathing the usually gloomy Gotham buildings with light. Bruce had accused her of tampering with the weather, but it was untrue.

"Always so suspicious, my love." She murmured as she stood and walked over to stand by the window. There was light spilling from one other room on this side of the manor. It was their room. She paused her train of thought. Their room? She thought to herself. She hadn't slept there in about 2 years. Even after her return, she hadn't gone back. She looked back at Bakari. "I suppose you're wondering why I fell in love with someone so diametrically different from me." She murmured, kneeling next to the crib and slipping her fingers through the bars. "I guess the most important thing I can tell you is that love is never easy. And that it rarely makes sense."

* * *

 _"Dark and Broody's back." Kitty said as the Batplane landed in the hangar. She waved at the plane. "Hey batty. Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical that we're not allowed in your city but you show up here every other weekend?"_

 _Batman ignored her, walking over to Scott. "Cyclops, I need to speak with the professor."_

 _"He's in his office." Scott said._

 _Batman nodded and paused, sweeping a look around the hangar and his eyes locked with Ororo. "Ms. Munroe." He said, nodding before walking out. Ororo watched him leave. Kitty gaped at her._

 _"What was that?" She said, pointing at the door that had just closed behind Batman. "He acknowledged another human presence..." She gasped. "Do you think it's an impostor?"_

 _"I have no idea." Ororo murmured._

* * *

 _"Do you know who he is?" Ororo asked Professor X one day when she was going over her lesson plans._

 _"Hmm?" Charles looked up from his papers. "Who?"_

 _"Charles." Ororo said, not believing for a second that he didn't know who she was talking about. He chuckled._

 _"No." He said. "I haven't probed, but he has lined his cowl with a metal that stops physic interference."_

 _"Similar to Magneto's helmet." Ororo muttered, looking back down at her grade book. Charles raised an eyebrow._

 _"You suspect him?" He asked, serious. Charles trusted her judgement._

 _"I just find him..." She tried to find the correct word. "Frustrating." She frowned. "That's not right. He's...I don't understand what motivates him."_

 _"The urge to do good?" Charles suggested mildly. "Justice?"_

 _Ororo frowned. "We fight because we have the ability to protect those who would harm the defenseless. Batman is...a man."_

 _Charles raised an amused eyebrow. "You admire him." He said._

 _Ororo winced. "I suppose I do." She mumbled._

 _Charles chuckled. "You sound as though it causes you pain."_

 _Ororo frowned. "He's just so rude." She grabbed her papers and focused on the lesson plans, trying desperately to keep all thoughts of Batman out of her mind._

* * *

 _She was back in Gotham. It was the opening day of an exhibit on Kenyan artifacts. She'd been helping the curator with some of the translations and historical data and to express his thanks he'd made her the guest of honor at the opening night gala. The Gotham Museum of Fine Arts was beautiful by day, but by night...it was eerie. She suppressed a shudder as she glanced around the room. The faux gothic architecture illuminated by moonlight streaming in from the windows cast strange shadows on the walls. The high society streamed through the halls, making comments on the art while sipping wine._

 _She stood off to the side of the balcony, looking down on the main gallery, watching the people._

 _"Ms. Munroe."_

 _She turned to smile at Mrs. Kern, the curator. There was a tall dark haired man with piercing blue eyes standing next to her. Kern was waving her over. She walked toward them_

 _"This is Ororo Munroe." Kern said. "Without whose help, the entire exhibit wouldn't have been possible." She smiled, "Ororo, this is-"_

 _"Bruce Wayne." He said, holding out a hand. "I am delighted to meet you, Ms. Munroe."_

 _"It is good to meet you as well, Mr. Wayne." She said. Wayne raised an eyebrow at Mrs. Kern who suddenly found something very interesting to do at the other side of the gallery. Wayne turned his attention back to Ororo._

 _"You are quite knowledgeable about Kenya."_

 _"I was born there." She said. "My mother was a priestess in our village." She smiled. "She would have loved this."_

 _Wayne raised an eyebrow. Ororo looked down at the gallery. He'd probably heard her use of the past tense and deduced what it meant. She gave him a small smile._

 _"I should mingle." She motioned towards the gallery before making to move away. "Enjoy the exhibit Mr. Wayne."_

 _"You are quite difficult to miss in a crowd." Wayne's voice gave her pause._

 _"What?" She looked at him in confusion. He was leaning against the balcony, his eyes intense as he looked her over, there was a small smirk playing on his lips._

 _"I believe that's what I told you the first time we met." He looked at her innocently. She blinked at him in surprise. Then smiled, it all made sense now._

 _"You did." She agreed, stepping back and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I'm just unclear whether it was before or after you threatened me to leave Gotham or else."_

 _He grimaced. "Perhaps I might request a private tour of the gallery?"_

 _Ororo chuckled. "I'm not sure. Do you think you deserve it?" She gave him one amused look before walking away. She could feel his eyes on her back._

* * *

"He loves deeply." Ororo murmured looking down at Bakari's sleeping form. "Some people believe he's uncaring, cold. It's not true. He simply feels too much." She sat back on the sofa next to the bed, intent on dropping back to sleep, when the door opened. She bolted up. Outside the sky darkened. She relaxed when Bruce entered the room.

He raised an eyebrow. "Am I truly so terrifying?" He asked. Ororo shook her head.

"I'm just jumpy." She said.

"What were you thinking about?" He asked, coming to stand beside the sofa. She looked over at Bakari.

"What makes you say I was thinking?" She asked.

"You've got a tell." He whispered, echoing her words from earlier. She let out an amused sigh.

"I was thinking of that night at the gallery." She said. "This house...I swear it brings out all these old memories." She shook her head. "It even made you sentimental."

"I'm always thinking of the past." Bruce murmured. "And I realized..." He slid in the sofa, making Ororo move to accommodate him. "That this is where I need to be." He looked over at the crib, then kissed Ororo's cheek. "With my family." Outside the Batsignal lit up the clouds, Bruce stiffened. Ororo stood.

"I'll watch him." She said. "You be careful."

Bruce nodded. He paused at the door. "I had a look at the specs Forge sent you." He winced. "As much as I hate to admit it, they're not half bad."

"I'll make sure he never finds out." Ororo chuckled.

"I'll have Lucius look into incorporating some of the good ones tomorrow." He said.

Ororo waited until she heard the batmobile roar away. Alfred poked his head in.

"Mrs. Wayne. I took the liberty of bringing you this." He held out her uniform. "I will watch young master Bakari."

Ororo took the uniform. "He's going to be furious." She said, grinning.

"I'm certain he will." Alfred replied.


	5. Chapter 5

The cold Gotham air whipped through the streets as Bruce crouched on a rooftop, waiting for his mark to arrive. If the intel Gordon had given him was accurate, they would be here any moment. There was a subtle shift in the air and he closed his eyes, not sure if he was amused or annoyed.

"Alfred put you up to this?" He asked, his voice soft and growling. Ororo landed next to him. She raised her eyebrow.

"Are you implying I wouldn't be capable of following you on my own accord?" She asked, sitting next to him. "Who are we staking out?"

Bruce exhaled slowly, but knew better than to argue or to try to get her to leave. "The Maroni crime family. Drug shipment, disguised as computers."

Ororo nodded, waited. The silence stretched between them, but unlike the ones near the time of her departure two years ago, this one wasn't uncomfortable. It was the silence of two people that had known each other for years and understood each other without speaking. Ororo stared ahead, Bruce tried to stay focused, but every once in a while, he found his eyes sliding back to her. She didn't turn, but the amused smile growing on her face, told him she noticed his gaze.

"How is crime supposed to be defeated if you keep ogling your wife?" She said. Bruce suppressed a laugh.

"How am I supposed to concentrate when I'm worried about you being recognized without a mask?" He retorted. Ororo rolled her eyes.

"This again?"

"Yes." Bruce said.

"Bruce, when I'm out in the field, most people aren't focusing on my face. They're focusing on not being struck by lightning." She was smiling and clearly meant it as a joke, but Bruce wasn't amused. She sighed. "Beat up the bad guys and then we can have this out."

Bruce glared down at the street. A truck was driving towards the store. He prepared his grapple. Waiting for the men to begin unloading the vehicle, he recognized one of Maroni's lead henchmen among the workers. Shooting the grapple, he swung down, There were 6 in total. He easily took out the first 4, and turned to the last two, prepared to fight when the crack of a whip sounded and they both fell to the ground. Bruce groaned. And just when he thought this night couldn't get any worse.

"Selina." He growled, knocking out the last of the conscious perps and turned to her. She smiled, holstering her whip.

"Brrrrrruce."

He flinched and moved back. "I'm calling Gordon, you might want to get out of here." He turned and prepared to jump back to the rooftop where Ororo was, but Selina's voice stopped him.

"I heard a rumor that there's a bat baby running around the manor these days." She smirked as he froze. "Are congratulations in order?"

He glanced up at the rooftop. Ororo was gone. He bit his lip and frowned. "Selina, I-"

There was a rumble of thunder and a flash of lighting. It struck a truck coming down the street stopping it dead. Ororo landed in the middle of the street, blowing the doors open and forcing the passengers out. A gust of wind smashed them against the wall. They slid to the ground, unconscious. Ororo straightened up and turned towards the two of them. "Catwoman." She said, nodding at Selina.

"Storm." Selina said, waving at her. "You're looking well."

Ororo smiled, "you as well."

Bruce looked at them, confused. What was happening?

"Thank you, for doing that favor I asked you." Ororo said.

Selina's grin widened. "It was my pleasurrrre" she purred. "Gotham's been a real boys club since Harley and Ivy got put back in the slammer. It's good to have you back." She blew her a kiss, then looked at Bruce. "See you around, Bruce." She ran into a nearby alley, disappearing into the night. Bruce looked back at Ororo in shock.

"Do I want to know what you've been doing, associating with known criminals?" He asked.

"You mean your ex?" Ororo said sweetly. He grimaced. She laughed before continuing. "After I left I asked Selina to keep an eye on you. I didn't want you to do anything too destructive."

Sirens blared and lights began flashing. GCPD were coming. "We should go-" he began before the wind ruffled his face. Ororo was flying him, her around wrapped around his chest.

"I'm capable of moving on my own." He growled. Ororo chuckled, landing him next to the Batmobile. Putting her hands on the side of his face and pulling him down, she brushed her lips brushing against his. He closed his eyes, sliding his hands up and down her sides.

"You're a real distraction in the field." He breathed.

"Hmm." She murmured, "I love you too."

He leaned down for a kiss, but she took off, flying into the sky. He watched her go. "I'll race you home." She grinned and flew away.

He jumped into the Batmobile and drove off after her.

* * *

 _Bruce strode across the empty field to where the weather witch was standing. She was blindfolded and completely still in the center of the field. All around her, students were attempting to get close to her to steal the flag planted at her feet. Cyclops blew a whistle._

 _Nightcrawler was up first. Using his powers, he inched closer, appearing right next to her, then jumping to the otherside of the field, attempting to confuse her. He was just about to grab the flag with a whirlwind blew him to the opposite side of the field._

 _"Time." Cyclops said. Nightcrawler groaned and went to the back of the line. ShadowCat was up next. She phased into the ground, sneaking slowly towards Storm. She clearly thought she'd succeeded, but Bruce saw the corner of Storm's mouth twitch upwards . The temperature of the field dropped about 50 degrees. Kitty phased out._

 _"Cold." She shivered. "Damn it, Ro."_

 _"Time." Cyclops said._

 _Bruce approached the Xman. "So whoever captures the flag wins the exercise?"_

 _Cyclops nodded. "No one's ever gotten past Ro." He explained. Looking Bruce up and down, he smirked. "Want to give it a try, Batman?"_

 _Bruce looked over at Ororo. She had her back to them, but he was sure that she was listening to every word._

 _"Doesn't seem fair." he said._

 _"I'll go easy, Batman." Ororo said, amusement evident in her voice._

 _"I should clarify." He looked at her, smiling. "It doesn't seem fair to you."_

 _Ororo scoffed. "Alright then." She said, cracking her neck. "Give it your best shot."_

 _Bruce took a step forward. The clouds darkened and he barely had a warning rumble of thunder before he dived to avoid the strike of lightning. They moved almost in sync. Those watching weren't sure whether they were watching a fight or a deadly dance or a bizarre mixture of both. He threw batarangs, that she blew away with gusts of wind that twirled out of her fingertips. The earth around them was scorched, the air charged. Cyclops didn't time this particular bout. Slowly he inched closer. There were shocked murmurs from the students. He heard someone, it sounded like Gambit, open a betting pool. Ducking a gust of hail, he stopped in front of her, breathing heavily. She was breathing slowly and deeply. Her head tilted and she smiled at him. He reached down and plucked the flag out of the ground. She smiled. He stepped forward so they were inches apart._

 _"You went easy on me." He said, she pulled down her blindfold, her eyes sparkling with amusement and crackling with repressed energy. He knew she could level the entire around with just a thought. He looked down at her amount of control she exerted was... Her voice snapped him back into focus._

 _"I couldn't ruin that pretty face." She reached up and ran her hand across his cheek. His cowl seemed overheated, his suit too tight. She smirked and whispered. "What would the ladies of Gotham think?" She turned and left him, holding the flag in hand, a small wind whipping his cape around him._

* * *

He pulled into the Batcave and got out of the car. Her suit was already back in its case. He smiled, competitive as always, she hadn't let him win. It was true that she was a distraction in the field, he thought as he pulled his cowl down, but somehow he knew that he distracted her as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Ororo carried Bakari down the stairs to the BatCave. The sound of clanging could be heard along with quiet discussion. Bakari looked up at the cavernous ceiling of the cave. Ororo had been worried that he'd be scared but when he looked back at her he was beaming. "Bat." He giggled, clapping his hands and reaching out in an attempt to grab one of the passing animals.

The sound echoed off the walls. Bruce and Lucius Fox, who were looking over the bat suit looked up from their work and watched her approach.

"Bat." Ororo agreed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Going down the last few stairs, she noted that the changes Bruce and Lucius were making came from the designs Forge had sent over. She stopped in front of them.

"Mrs. Wayne." Lucius said.

"Lucius." She chided, shaking her head. "How many times?"

"Ororo." He corrected, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you."

"Well, when Alfred said Bruce was hiding you here, I had to say hi."

Lucius leaned forward and smiled at Bakari. "And I see that unfortunately he seems to take after his father."

Ororo laughed as Bruce frowned. "Well." She said, moving to stand next to Bruce to give him a kiss on the cheek. "We all have to live with our disappointments."

Bruce glanced around the cave. "Are you sure he should be down here?"

"I'm holding him." Ororo said. "Besides he's not going to tell anyone."

"Bat." Bakari said, pointing at the suit. "Bat." He repeated reaching out for Bruce. Ororo winced as Bruce shot her a slightly amused look.

"Don't gloat." Ororo sighed.

"Why not?" Bruce said, reaching for Bakari. Ororo handed him to Bruce. Holding him close he moved over to the side. "This is a secret, Bakari." He said putting a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh secret."

"Secret." Bakari repeated, whispering and mimicking Bruce by putting a finger to his lips.

"Right." Bruce nodded. "And if you tell anyone I'll have to-"

"Bruce." Ororo warned.

"Take away your dessert." Bruce finished, smiling over at Ororo. "What did you think I was going to say?" He shook his head and turned his attention to Bakari. "Your mother thinks the worst of me."

"That's because I know you." Ororo shot back.

Bruce turned his back and took Bakari over to the side, whispering. Ororo looked over at Lucius who was shaking his head. "what?"

"It's been a while since I've seen him like this." He said.

"Relaxed?" Ororo supplied.

"Happy." Lucius replied. "He's simply not the same without you here." He smiled. "And now with his son." He smiled, looking around the cave. "It seems that he's been doing it so long, he forgot that the reason was for family."

Bruce was pulling his head back, trying to stop Bakari from putting his fingers in his mouth. Bakari was giggling. Bruce turned and looked at Ororo and Lucius. "What?"

"Nothing." Ororo said, shaking her head. He frowned and turned back to Bakari.

"I'm taking away your mother's dessert." He said.

"Are you happy?" Lucius said.

"Hmm?" Ororo said, looking back at him. She frowned, considering his words.

* * *

 _"How do yah put up with it?" Rogue asked, falling onto one of the couches in the living room. Ororo raised an eyebrow, putting aside her grade book._

 _"Put up with what?"_

 _"Batman." Rogue groaned. "Since ya'll're...yah know."_

 _Ororo gaped at her. "What are you implying?"_

 _Rogue gave her a pointed look._

 _"I am not." Ororo said, horrified._

 _"Aw come on, Ro." Rogue said. "Yah're the only one he talks to."_

 _"That doesn't mean there's anything happening." Ororo said, looking back at her gradebook._

 _"So yah tellin me yah don't know who he is_ _under the mask?" Ro said. rolling onto her stomach and propping her chin on her hand. Ororo kept her eyes on her gradebook. " Ah knew it." Rogue said triumphantly._

 _"Why are you asking about him?" Ororo said, not looking up. Rogue smirked._

 _"Because he's here." Rogue said, smirking as she raised her head in shock. "And he's askin for you."_

 _"Oh." Ororo replied._

 _"Oh?" Rogue said, amused. She stood. "He's brooding in_ _the dining room."_

 _Ororo walked into the dining room. He was sitting at the table. "Ms. Munroe." He said._

 _"Mr. Batman." She said, sitting across from him. "It's awfully hot to be wearing that suit." She commented sitting across from him._

 _He didn't respond, instead, looked at her, seeming to study her. Ororo leaned forward on the table, smiling at him. "Rogue said you wanted to see me."_

 _"I did." He said._

 _"And is seeing all you wanted?" She asked. "Because I_ _could have sent you a picture."_

 _He leaned back. "I wanted to ask you something."_

 _Ororo chuckled. "Should I be worried? You're usually so direct."_

 _He smiled slightly. Ororo raised an eyebrow._

 _"Now I know I should be worried." She said. "Out with it, Batman. I don't have all day."_

 _He sighed. "Would you happen to be busy tomorrow night?"_

 _Ororo laughed. "Was that painful?" she asked. "Because you look like you've been sucking lemons. Though it's difficult to tell what you're thinking considering the fact that you're always hiding behind that mask."_

 _He frowned. "It's dangerous for people to know my secret identity."_

 _"And it's dangerous for the students to have outsiders know what really happens at this school." Ororo retorted. "Yet we've opened our minds and our home to you. But you don't trust us. You wear that suit and hide from people who have entrusted you with a secret that could cost them their lives." She stood. "Maybe you should consider that the next time you come calling." She walked to the door._

 _"So that's a no." He said, softly._

 _Ororo stood, looking over her shoulder. "Maybe your friend Bruce Wayne should ask me a second time." She paused. "I never asked for a codename. I don't wear a mask. I live my life honestly and out in the open, unashamed." She smiled over at him. "I'm not expecting the same from you, but...perhaps a little honesty among friends is long overdue."_

 _She didn't see him for a few weeks. Then the professor called her into his office._

 _"Do you have any idea," he asked mildly. "Why Bruce Wayne is at the entrance to the school grounds?" Ororo felt a surge of excitement and relief. He'd done it. He'd opened up. She smiled at Charles. He looked up at her, a look of amused curiosity on his face._

 _"I think you already know the answer to that question." She said._

 _"By all means then, go put the poor man out of his misery." Charles said._

 _She flew to the edge of the property, landing by the gate. Bruce was outside a fancy convertible sports car, leaning against it, and looking bored. He stood up straight when she opened the gate._

 _"They've got you on door duty today?" He said mildly. She shook her head._

 _"Be nice or I won't let you in." She said. Bruce raised an eyebrow, but gave her a small nod. She stepped back, pulling the gate completely open. He drove in, stopping just back the gate, waiting for her to close it. She stopped by the side of the car._

 _"This is quite a vehicle" She said, running her hand across the side. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to impress someone."_

 _"She doesn't impress easily." Bruce said._

 _"Well maybe she doesn't value the fancy car." Ororo said. "But she does appreciate you being here."_

 _Bruce leaned over and opened the passenger door. "Want to take a drive?" Ororo smiled and glanced up at the sky._

 _"I don't know, ." She smirked. "It looks like rain." Bruce's face darkened._

 _"Don't." He said._

 _Ororo bit her lip and tilted her head. "It's not me, it's the weather."_

 _"Ororo." he warned, pulling up the roof. She shrugged._

 _"It's not me." She said. A few raindrops began falling. She held up her hands and backed away from the car. Bruce got out._

 _"Ororo."_

 _"I'm not doing it." She said. "It's not me." She was grinning from ear to ear. The rain increased. Bruce moved forward._

 _"Stop it." He said._

 _"Didn't you check the weather forecast before you left Gotham?" She asked, backing up as Bruce moved towards her. The rain was getting harder, his clothes were soaked through and Ororo took a second to admire the fabric clinging to his stomach. He took her distraction as an opportunity to lunge for her. She barely dodged him in time. She turned and ran across the grounds, Bruce hot on her heels. She could hear him closing in behind her, and it would be easier to fly away, but she knew it would be more fun to see if he could catch her._

 _She jumped slightly, pretending she was going to fly._

 _"Oh no you don't." Bruce growled and suddenly his arms were around, her sending them both tumbling down to the ground. She rolled over, laughing as the rain poured on them._

 _"You'll get mud on those expensive clothes, Mr. Wayne." She said, fiddling with the top button of his shirt. He push the hair out of her face._

 _"Why do I feel like you worsened the rain to get me out of them. Ms. Munroe?" He retorted._

 _"Are you always so suspicious or is it just the women you're trying to impress?" Ororo said._

 _"How's it working?" He replied. Ororo raised her eyes, pretending to be thinking, then smiled. Her eyes went white and the rain fell heavier. As Bruce looked up and squinted at the sky, she wrapped a leg around his waist and rolled him over so he was on his back beneath her. She laughed, readjusting herself and leaning forward, her hands on his chest._

 _"You see Mr. Wayne." She said, smiling at the look of awe on his face. "If it had been me..." A flash of lightning cut across the sky and thunder roared. "You would know."_

* * *

It had been the first time she'd known that her feelings for him ran deeper than simple attraction. He'd been willing to compromise, to work past his trust issues to be close to her. She looked back at Lucius and nodded.

"I am."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:**

 **The rating on this fic has changed because of events in this chapter.**

* * *

"What happened?" Alfred said as Ororo helped Bruce onto the table in the batcave.

"It's just a sprain, Alfred." Bruce growled, pulling, shifting so his leg was on the table. Ororo rolled her eyes.

"I was asking Mrs. Wayne." Alfred said. "Since I can be sure that I get an honest answer." Bruce huffed and crossed his arms. Ororo looked him over before turning to Alfred.

"He jumped the gun and got himself injured." She explained.

"I was protecting you." Bruce retorted. Ororo looked up at the ceiling and shook her head.

"We have been through this, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself in the field."

"He had a neutralizer, Ororo." Bruce growled. "You had your back to him and was about to shoot you. That's why "I jumped the gun"." He breathed angrily. "And have you stopped to think about how he might have gotten that particular piece of technology?"

Ororo bit her lip. She had her suspicions, but she'd wanted to be sure that Bruce was alright before voicing them. "You think Forge is behind this."

"You're damn right I do." Bruce said. Alfred stayed silent, wrapping Bruce's leg.

"Why?" Ororo sighed. "What would he have to gain?"

"Have you ever wondered why Azazel was working with Mojo?" Bruce said. "Because I've been doing some digging and it turns out he's one of a few mutants who's disappeared. And with each disappearance, money appears in one of Forge's offshore accounts."

Ororo pursed her lips. "How long have you known this?"

"Ever since Lucius and I found the hidden timebomb in the specs Forge sent you." Bruce said. "There was a kill switch, activated by the neutralizer frequency. He didn't count on me having stolen a broken one and taken it apart to see how it works. I rendered his evil plan useless." He made to get off the table. Alfred glared at him.

"Master Wayne. You are not moving until I allow it."

"And that's after he's gotten permission from me." Ororo said, Alfred nodded his agreement. Bruce looked openmouthed at the two of them.

"You're plotting against me." He said. Ororo pulled his cowl off and ran a hand through his sweatsoaked hair.

"It's because we love you." She said, feeling guilty about the specs. "I'm sorry, Bruce I didn't know."

Bruce gave her a half smile. "I would have told you, but I was worried you'd go after him." He said. Ororo pressed her lips into a hard line.

"If he was behind Mojo attempting to kidnap Bakari, there's no place in any universe he can hide." She growled. "As it is, I haven't ruled it out." Bruce nodded.

"We need proof." He said softly.

"Why would he want you dead?" Ororo asked. Bruce tilted his head.

"Is that really a question you need to ask?" He asked. "He's never liked the fact that you no longer belong to him."

"I never belonged to him." Ororo said.

Bruce nodded. "But in his mind you did." He looked at Alfred. "Can you ask Ororo for her blessing to give me permission to stand?"

Alfred turned to Ororo, amusement in his eyes. "He's learned not to fight us, Mrs. Wayne." He said. "What do you think?"

"I think he needs at least two days forced bedrest." Ororo said. Bruce sputtered in horror.

* * *

Later that night, after changing out of his suit and showering, Bruce was sitting in bed, his leg propped up on a pillow. Ororo came into the room.

"How's Bakari?" He asked.

"Still sleeping." She said, walking to stand by the window. "It'll be morning soon." She murmured, closing her eyes. Bruce knew that expression and made to move. "Don't even think about it." She said. He sat back.

"Think about what?" he asked.

"Coming over here to comfort me." Ororo said, turning and walking over to the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back to him. "Have my choices caused this?"

"I don't think Azazel was after Bakari." Bruce said. "Mojo wanted you for his gladiator matches."

"But Forge tried to kill you." Ororo said, looking at him. "If I had never ask him for those design upgrades-"

"So it's your fault he's a jealous idiot with no morals?" Bruce asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She reached up and covered his hand with hers, leaning her cheek on it.

"I love you." She said. He tugged her, urging her to turn to look at him.

"Nothing is going to take me away from you." He said. "Or Bakari."

She smiled, in spite of herself. "How can you make a promise like that." She murmured. "Especially seeing the world we live in."

"Because you'd never let me get hurt." Bruce said. "Just like I will fight to keep harm away from you. And the two of us will protect our son." He clutched her hand. "We've lost too much family which is why we'll do anything to protect the one we have now."

"I'm sorry I left." She said, closing her eyes. "I was confused and upset." Bruce pulled her close.

"You had every right to be angry at me." He murmured, tucking her under his arm and stroking her hair. She pressed her face in the crook of his neck. "I needed the reality check of losing you to see how foolish I'd been."

"Do you think Forge will come after us?" Ororo asked.

Bruce grimaced. "It's hardly the first time an angry ex has come after us." Ororo closed her eyes. "Just this time, it's yours."

Ororo held him tighter. "Don't sound so pleased." she muttered.

"I'm not." Bruce said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm really not."

* * *

 _The first flower was in her classroom. She'd come in early to prepare her lessons and the flower had been on her desk; a yellow tulip. She'd picked it up, smiling. Bruce must have left it for her to find. She quickly got herself a vase, putting the flower in. That night when she called Bruce, he didn't mention it, but that wasn't unusual; he wasn't one to brag about romantic gestures. The conversation was cut short as a break out in Arkham tore his attention away. By the time they spoke again, she'd forgotten about the flower._

 _A few weeks later she found another one on her window sill. She carried it down to her classroom. Logan was sitting there, his feet on the desk. "I want you out before the students show up." She said, putting the flower in the vase. She'd dried the other one. Logan raised an eyebrow._

 _"You tell the bat about your secret admirer?" He asked, focusing his gaze on the flower._

 _"What do you mean?" Ororo said. "Bruce left that for me."_

 _Logan frowned. "Don't smell like him." He said, getting up and sniffing the flower. "That's definitely not the Bat."_

 _"Should I be concerned that you've sniffed my boyfriend?" Ororo asked._

 _"Don't think so highly of yourself." Logan grumbled. "I sniff all the Xgirls' boyfriends." He tapped the vase. "Something's off about this, Ro. Be careful."_

 _She told him about it at dinner the next night. "You wouldn't happen to have a criminal who specializes in yellow tulips?" Bruce frowned and leaned away from the table._

 _"Poison Ivy deals in all sorts of plant related crimes. Why do you ask?"_

 _"Someone's been leaving yellow tulips for me to find." Ororo explained. Bruce's frowned deepened. "It started about 5 weeks ago."_

 _"How many?" He asked._

 _"Three. The first one was in my classroom. The second outside my room on my windowsill and the third came this morning. I found it in my garden." Ororo bit her lip. "At first I thought it was you, but..."_

 _"Do you have any of the flowers?" Bruce asked. Ororo nodded. "I'll need to analyze them." He frowned. "Next time you find one, tell me." He looked at the table. "Why do you think it's connected to me?"_

 _She hesitated. "I don't know if it means anything, but after the third one, I looked up the meaning of yellow tulips. They signify hopeless love. Someone clearly doesn't like the idea of me being with you."_

 _Bruce's expression turned stony. "Do you want to stay at the manor?" He asked._

 _"Saying you want me to move in?" Ororo said. "Why Bruce-"_

 _"This is serious, Ororo." He said. "They've managed to infiltrate the institute."_

 _Ororo looked down at her hands. "I'll think about it."_

 _Bruce was lost in thought. "5 weeks ago." He mumbled. His eyes suddenly flashed with a realization. "You said 5 weeks ago."_

 _"Yes." Ororo said. "Why?"_

 _He got up and walked out of the dining room, motioning for Ororo to follow. They went into his office. Bruce went to the desk and pulled open a drawer. Inside he picked up a newspaper. "This was on newstands 5 weeks ago." He said, handing it to Ororo. She took it._

 _"A gossip magazine?" She said. Her eyes widened when she saw the cover picture. It was her and Bruce sitting at a cafe in Gotham. She was leaning forward, her hand on his arm. He had one of his small smiles and was staring at her intently. "Bruce Wayne's walk on the wild side?" she read, slamming the magazine down. "that's-" She was sickened._

 _"I've already sent my legal team after them." Bruce said. "Though there's not much they can do." He sighed. "The problem is whoever is targeting you probably saw this."_

 _Ororo crossed her arms. "Why do I get the feeling that you know exactly who it is?" She said._

 _"I have my suspicions." Bruce said._

 _"Bruce." Ororo warned. "We discussed this; you need to communicate." Bruce shot her an unamused look._

 _"There's only one person who has the skills and motive." He said. "But...I thought she was dead." He frowned and sat in one of the large armchairs in the office. Ororo sat across from him. "She and I were involved when I was training. I'd joined a group of warrior monks, in order to hone my combat skills." He exhaled. "She was my trainer's daughter."_

 _Ororo looked at her hands. "You fell in love."_

 _"No." Bruce said. "It wasn't love; it was manipulation. The monastery was a front for the League of Shadows. My trainer was Ra's al Ghul." He looked over at Ororo. "I was young and still naive. I didn't know. Talia...she was..." He shook his head. "Well, it was easy for me to believe she was kind and caring because that's what she wanted me to believe. She'd stick up my wounds after practice. Tend to my bruises."_

 _Ororo leaned back in her seat. "I didn't know the nurse routine worked on the almighty batman."_

 _Bruce glared. "She was her father's pawn. Or willing accomplice. I wasn't sure." He looked at Ororo. "Her father revealed the truth about the League and tried to compel me to stay. He wanted me and Talia to provide him with an heir. There was some prophecy and" He shrugged. "I guess I fit the bill. Talia had been brainwashed into believing we were soulmates. When I refused, things turned violent." He closed his eyes. "There was a fight. I barely got out of Nanda Parbat alive, but...I could have sworn I saw Talia on the ground. Dead." He closed his eyes. "If she's alive and she saw that article, she'll view you as threat to her father's master plan."_

 _"What happened to Ra's?" Ororo asked._

 _Bruce's lips pressed into a hard line. "He's dead." Ororo arched an eyebrow. "I didn't...He killed himself when he attempted to bomb Gotham. I managed to disable the device he'd put on the train, but he didn't make it out before it crashed." He hung his head. "You need to stay out of sight, Ororo."_

 _"Absolutely not." She said, standing and walking to the door of the office._

 _"I don't think you realize how serious this is." Bruce said, coming to stand behind her. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he pulled it shut, blocking Ororo's exit. She turned and looked up at him._

 _"I do." She said. "But I refuse to live in hiding. If Talia wants to come after me, then let her try."_

 _"She was raised as an assassin princess." Bruce growled._

 _"And I was raised a goddess." Ororo retorted. "Who do you think wins?"_

 _"She'll kill you." Bruce said, a slight tremor in his voice. "She won't hesitate."_

 _"And I'll be ready." Ororo said, simply._

 _"I can't let you take that risk." Bruce said, anger in his eyes._

 _"Do think I can't take care of myself?" Ororo said, looking at him shock. He closed his eyes and exhaled._

 _"I..." He slammed his hand on the door and turned away. "I don't want to risk losing you." He admitted. Ororo's breath caught. He refused to look at her, moving further into the office, rubbing his temple, his shoulders tense. Ororo stepped closer to him. It was rare for him to be so emotionally vulnerable._

 _"Bruce." She said, putting her hand on his arm. "Look at me."_

 _He turned, but his eyes looked over her shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes._

 _"Bruce." She said, a warning rumble of thunder sounded outside. He looked down at her. "You aren't going to lose me." She put her hands on his forearms. "But you also can't keep me locked up here. I'll go insane and take you with me over the edge." The corner of his mouth twitched._

 _"I never wanted my past to hurt you." He said._

 _"It hasn't hurt me yet." She replied, sliding her hands up his arms, linking her fingers behind his neck. Bruce let his hands rest loosely on her hips. "And I believe that between the two of us, she has no chance."_

 _Bruce smiled. "The two of us?"_

 _"Well, I included you to preserve your fragile ego." Ororo said. "I'm pretty sure I could take her on my own." She laughed as he hung his head, pressing his forehead against hers._

 _"Can I train you?" He murmured. "I'd feel better if you knew how to handle yourself without your powers."_

 _She played with the short hairs at the back of his neck. "Hmm. Are you sure you could handle being so close to me in workout clothes? " Bruce let out an annoyed groan. Ororo laughed. "If it will set your mind at ease, I will add training with you to my weekly schedule."_

 _He walked forwards, backing her up towards the door. Pressing her against the door, he leaned down, brushing his lips against her ear. "Daily." He said, kissing her neck._

 _"Weekly." She retorted, slipping her hands down his chest._

 _"Stay here with me." He murmured, taking one of her hands, bringing it up to his lips._

 _"It's the middle of the school year." Ororo protested._

 _"Then teach your class over Skype." He said. "I'll set up a blackboard. Your students can email your assignments. "_

 _Ororo sighed, pressing herself against him. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Me here, 24/7." She squeezed the hand that was in his around his fingers and slipped the other one to his pants. "At your mercy?" She cupped him through his pants. He closed his eyes, his mouth opening slightly._

 _"Are you trying to distract me with sex?" He said._

 _"Is it working?" She asked. He pushed her hand away and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her hungrily. She molded her body against his, her lips parting and her teeth grazing his bottom lip. He picked her up and opened the door, carrying her to his room._

 _Outside the manor, Talia al Ghul watched the two of them enter Bruce's bedroom. Her eyes narrowed; Bruce Wayne was her intended. She'd be damned if she let that white haired whore take him from her._

* * *

Ororo closed her eyes. "Would you mind terribly if I slept here tonight?" she asked. Bruce laughed.

"Yes." he said. "I am definitely going to kick my wife out of our bed." He shook his head. "But if you're not leaving, I guess I'll have to."

"You can try." Ororo retorted. "But on that leg, you're not going anywhere." She smiled. "You're helpless against me."

Bruce sighed, leaning back. "I am at your mercy, Mrs. Wayne." He smiled. "What are you going to do?"

Ororo lifted herself off of him and straddled his lap. "It's occurred to me that you received this injury trying to save me."

Bruce nodded. "Quite heroically, I might add." He said, placing his hands on her hips, rubbing his thumbs in a circular motion.

She smiled. "Always so humble."

"You love me." He said, matter-of-factly.

She hummed. "You have your moments." She rocked her hips back and forth. He closed his eyes.

"As do you."

She stilled. He opened an eye and looked at her. "Here I was, ready to reward your bravery." She sighed, moving away from him, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Ororo." He said, gripping her tighter, shifting slightly he winced as the motion moved his leg.

"I'm sorry." Ororo stopped moving. "Are you okay? I should have known better, I-"

Bruce sat up and cupped her chin, kissing her gently. "I've survived worse." He whispered. "And..." he hesitated before adding. "I'm happy that you're here with me..." It was the first time since her return. She looked at him from under her eyelashes. He took a shuddering breath and she felt him twitch and harden underneath her. "Even if it is out of pity for your poor invalid husband."

She laughed, pressing her lips against his. "I won't tease." she said.

"That would be a first." He said, sealing her mouth with a kiss, swallowing her indignant protests.

* * *

 **Notes:**

I completely intended for this fic to be a oneshot, but the ideas wouldn't leave me alone and I got dragged into writing a multichapter fic that somehow takes place in two different times of Ororo and Bruce's relationship.

So thank you to all of you that stuck with this, even when I started adding more random chapters.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: So, there's a chapter missing here. It's not important to the plot, but I didn't want to post it here. If you want to head over to AO3, It's chapter 8. Otherwise the plot continues in this chapter. Enjoy**

* * *

Bruce was up before her the next morning. Ororo was woken by the slight tickle of his stubble against her back. She stretched, smiling, contently. "I should go wake Bakari, feed him breakfast." She said, closing her eyes.

"Alfred's got it covered." Bruce's voice was rough and reassuring. She sighed and turned over, looking up at him.

"What did I ever do without Alfred?" she asked closing her eyes and snuggled closer to him. "Good morning." She said.

"Good morning." He said, running a hand down her side, eliciting a slight shiver from her. She sighed contentedly. "You know." Bruce said, conversationally. "A freak storm blew in last night." he gave her an amused look as she looked up him. "Practically blew the roof off." He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his face in the crook of her neck. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" He murmured against her skin. She threaded her fingers in his.

"Stop sounding so smug." She said.

"Winds." He said, pressing a kiss to her neck. "Lightning." he moved to her shoulder. "Thunder." She rolled onto her back and looked down at him as he lifted one of her thighs over his shoulder. "Rain." She closed her eyes.

"Bruce." she sighed, tangling her fingers in his hair.

* * *

"Don't do it." He murmured, stroking her back as she traced patterns on his chest.

"Do what?" She asked, leaning forward to graze his chest with her teeth. He sucked in a breath, his eyes fluttering shut. He sat up, forcing her to move off. She looked up at him, curiously. He seemed to brace himself before saying:

"I know you're planning on contacting Forge and tearing him a new one for trying to kill me and as flattered as I am, I'm asking you to wait."

Ororo sat up. "You couldn't even wait until I had clothes on to start this argument." She grumbled, pulling the covers over her chest as Bruce gave her a cursory look. "He tried to kill you, Bruce and if there's a chance-"

"I'm looking into him and when we've got enough evidence that he's going after mutants and how, we nail him." Bruce said, cutting her off.

"What if he threatens you again?" Ororo glared. "What if he comes after our son?"

Bruce's expression turned cold. "Then he'll regret the day he ever laid eyes on you." He said simply. He moved to get up from bed. Ororo grabbed him around the waist.

"I don't think so." She said. "You're on bed rest."

He snorted. "That's not happening."

"You've got a sprain, Bruce." She said, rolling her eyes at his insufferable stubbornness. "I'll bring you your portable Bat computer, but you're staying in bed."

He sat back, and crossed his arms. "Fine, but you're staying with me, I want to make sure you don't do anything reckless."

"Oh never." She said, getting up and walked over to the shower. "I leave that to you."

"What if I want a shower?" Bruce called after her. "I'll need someone to supervise me, in case I slip." She stuck her head out of the bathroom. Bruce was sitting up, alert and expectant.

"I'll be sure to tell Alfred." She said, watching the smirk slip off his face.

* * *

 _She was on the ferry to Ellis island with her students. They were all bunched around the railing as the boat left Manhattan. "Be careful." She admonished as they jostled and pushed, trying to get a picture of the statue of liberty. "We're going to liberty island next so you'll get a good shot of her." She frowned. "I'm not in the mood to fish anyone from the water." The students pulled back from the railing._

 _"Are these all yours?" A woman asked. She was tall, with dark hair and olive colored skin. She wore a black trench rain coat and a scarf wrapped around her head._

 _"Oh no." Ororo said. "I'm their teacher." She frowned at one of the boys who was stealing a snack from one of the other's backpacks. "Don't you dare." The sky overhead darkened slightly. The boy gulped and looked back at the water. Ororo looked around. Where was Logan?_

 _"History?"_

 _She'd forgotten about the woman next to her. "Yes." She said, absentmindedly, looking for Logan. He must have gone below decks. She frowned. When she got her hands on him, he'd be sorry._

 _"Fitting." The woman said. Ororo looked at her in surprise._

 _"I'm sorry, not to be rude, but do I know you?" Her face seemed familiar somehow. The woman smiled and Ororo was reminded of the hare from her mother's stories; the dishonest and sometimes dangerous trickster who did anything and everything to get what she wanted. She backed up._

 _"Not yet, Ms. Munroe." She said. "Did you like my flowers?"_

 _"Talia." Ororo said, the sky darkened menacingly._

 _"You are so trusting and naive." Talia laughed. "What can my intended possibly see in you?" She grinned. "If I had not alerted you of my presence, think how easy it would have been to toss you overboard."_

 _"If you're trying to scare me." Ororo said, glaring at her, preparing a lightning strike if necessary. "It won't work."_

 _"Oh my dear." Talia said. "I'm not here to scare you. I'm here to promise you that if you don't stay away from my intended you will die a whore's death."_

 _Ororo looked at her in shock. "Who hurt you?" She asked._

 _"This is your only warning." Talia said. "But first, Bruce needs to know how unworthy you are." She pulled out a knife._

 _"I don't think so, toots." Logan said, and grabbed her wrist. Talia pulled a second knife from her sleeve and sank it into Logan's neck. He looked at it and pulled it out, annoyed. "That was stupid. Ro, sic her; I'll watch the kids."_

 _Ororo made fog roll in to hide their confrontation from onlookers. Talia took one look around, then turned and ran. There was a splash. By the time Ororo had cleared the fog, she was out of sight._

 _"Is it too much to hope she drowned?" Logan asked, coming to stand next to Ororo._

 _"If what Bruce told me about her is true, she's resilient." Ororo murmured. "I doubt that's the last of her." She sighed. "I can already hear Bruce saying:..."_

 _"I told you." He growled. They were in the professor's office at the institute. Ororo had just finished recounting what had happened on the ferry. He was livid. "She's not going to stop."_

 _"I scared her off, Bats." Logan said, leaning against the wall and glaring at him, chewing a cigar._

 _"Temporarily." Bruce said. "If anything you've made things worse." He grit his teeth. "Talia is...a predator. You've only made her more excited for the hunt."_

 _"Maybe you and Ro should end things then." Logan suggested. "Since being around you is such a danger."_

 _"That's enough, Logan." Ororo glared up at him. "Thank you for your help today, but it does not give you the right to question my love life." Logan huffed and pushed off the wall, bumping his shoulder against Bruce, he paused._

 _"If being with you causes her hurt, I'll make you pay for it."_

 _"Logan." Ororo admonished. Bruce raised an eyebrow._

 _"Are you done?" He asked. Logan bared his teeth and walked out of the room, slamming the door. Charles frowned at the desk._

 _"What do you propose we do, Mr. Wayne?" He asked, gravely. Ororo looked at the ground._

 _"I need to move out of the institute." She said. "My presence here threatens the students." She sighed. "Perhaps I can go stay with the Morlocks."_

 _"No." Bruce said firmly. "You can stay with me."_

 _Ororo turned to look up at him in amusement._

 _"That's to say." He cleared his throat. "Her endgame is going to be kill you in front of me so I might as well have you close."_

 _"Right." Ororo said. "wouldn't want to inconvenience your psycho ex, now would we?"_

 _Bruce exhaled heavily. "That's not what I meant."_

 _Charles chuckled. "It appears the two of you have much to discuss." He said, motioning to the door. "Just tell me what you decide."_

 _Ororo stood and walked out, Bruce following her. "Ororo." He said, following her through the halls, some of the students poked their heads out of various study rooms and gave them curious looks. He grit his teeth, not wanting to make a scene. Ororo paused on the stairs._

 _"Up or down?" She said innocently. Bruce glared back at the hall where all the students ducked their heads back into their rooms. Down meant going to the garden while up meant her room and being the subject of the institute gossip mill._

 _"Down." He said. Ororo smirked and took the stairs toward the garden. She sat on one of the benches and looked up at him, patiently waiting for him to explain himself. He sighed heavily. "I don't want you in danger and I honestly believe that the safest place for all involved is with me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. Ororo raised an eyebrow._

 _"Do you honestly expect me to believe there's only one key to the door to Wayne Manor?" She asked, amused. Bruce knew that she'd see right through his scheme. He'd had the key made weeks ago before the Talia mess had begun as a symbolic gesture._

 _"I wish it was under better circumstances." He said. "I was going to ask you before, but nothing between us is ever going to be easy or traditional."_

 _"But that won't stop you from trying." Ororo chuckled, holding out her hand and delicately taking the key. "Is that your way of saying that if I survive you'll want me to stay at the manor?"_

 _Bruce closed his eyes and shook his head; Ororo's sense of humor was something else. "When this is taken care of." He corrected, "I'd really like for you to stay."_

* * *

"We need to tell Charles." Ororo said, later that day. Bruce was sitting up in bed, chasing down a lead on the computer she'd brought him. She and Bakari were on the ground, playing with Bruce's old train set. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"I think there was a conductor's cap with that thing." He said, putting aside his computer. "And if Alfred kept this, he definitely kept the outfit."

Ororo looked up at him with affectionate exasperation. "I know you don't like to involve others in your business, but Bruce, Forge isn't Talia; he's a mutant, which means Cerebro can find him."

"Neutralizers." Bruce said, moving his legs over the side of the bed and lowering himself to the floor. "I'm sure they'll counter Professor Xavier's telepathy." He smiled as Bakari tottered over to him and fell across his lap. "Hey you." He said. "Causing lots of trouble for your mother, I hope." He lifted him up over his head. Bakari laughed and reached down, trying to grab at Bruce's hair. Ororo took a moment to watch them before sighing heavily.

"Bruce."

He lowered Bakari, pulling him against his chest. "Forge's pride will be his own undoing. He expected me to die in that suit, but unwittingly he gave me a means of defeating him." He raised an eyebrow. "Egomaniac actually gave me some of his tech."

Ororo closed her eyes. "He thought you'd be too dead to use it." She murmured.

"He probably paid those goons to use the neutralizer to kill me, then kidnap you." He shook his head. "I don't know why he wouldn't think that I'd double and triple check anything he gave me." He shook his head and looked down at Bakari. "Before your mother met me she had terrible taste in men."

"Oh right." Ororo said. "Because all your exes are good upstanding citizens who in no way pose any threat to society."

Bruce coughed. "You're apparently friends with Selina."

"Doesn't change the fact that she's a jewel thief." Ororo said, leaning towards Bakari. "Your father's luckiest day was when I walked into his life." She smirked up at him. Bruce met her eyes and smiled.

"You will find no argument from me on that point." He said earnestly. He glanced past her at the box and his face broke into a smile. "I knew it." He reached over her and rummaged in the box, pulling out a dusty light blue conductor's hat. Putting it on Bakari's head, he gave him a serious look. "Now, you're the most important person in the train. You're in charge of making sure the train arrives safely into the station."

"Bruce it's covered in dust." Ororo said, taking it and used a small gust of wind to remove the dust. Bakari reached for it, accidentally sniffing a face full of dust and sneezing. He grabbed the hat.

"Hat." He declared, putting it on backwards. Bruce and Ororo laughed.

Bakari refused to take the hat off. insisting on wearing it through dinner, even when Bruce tried to take away his dessert. Alfred came into the dining room and laughed.

"I would give up if I were you, Master Wayne." He said. "I seem to remember another young Wayne boy who wore that same hat and refused to remove it, no matter what threats his father made."

Ororo's face broke into a smile as Bruce's expression shifted to calculated neutrality. "Really?" She asked, turning to Alfred. "I'm assuming there are photographs?"

"Of course, Mrs. Wayne." Alfred said, smiling conspiratorially. "I'll bring you the album to look through."

Bruce shook his head. "Alfred you're fired."

Alfred shared a look with Ororo. "Master Wayne. I do not believe that you are in charge of those decisions anymore." He left the dining room. Bruce looked across the table at Ororo and shook his head.

"Is it possible that a coup happened without me knowing?" He asked.

"Coup implies that you were in charge at some point." Ororo said. "You're late to the party if you believed that."


	9. Chapter 9

Notes:

This chapter takes place completely in the past.

Chapter Text

Bruce rechecked the fortifications of the manor perimeter in the Bat cave.. Talia threatening Ororo out in the open had him on edge. He tensed as footsteps sounded, coming down the stairs.

"It's quite dark down here." Ororo said. She came to stand behind him and slid her arms over his shoulders leaning against him. Bruce looked up at her.

"You settling in alright?" He asked. She nodded.

"I have one more heavy bag." she said. "I wouldn't mind help from someone with large muscles."

Bruce pressed his cheek against her arm and smiled. "I'll be right up." He said. Ororo leaned forward, frowning at the screen.

"Is that a laser grid?" she asked.

"Among other things. As long as you stay within the grounds, you're safe." Bruce said. Ororo gripped him a little tighter. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"I just feel." She sighed. "I just feel like I'm being caged, Bruce."

He pulled back and moved so he was facing her. "It's temporary; I swear." He said. Ororo bit her lip. "In fact, as soon as I have Talia locked up; the two of us will go on a vacation."

She laughed. Bruce felt insulted.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing." Ororo shook her head. "I just got an image of you in your Bat suit on the beach, wearing flippers and a scuba mask." She grinned as he frowned up at her. Leaning down, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was more openly affectionate than him; something that had taken some getting used to. Now however, he sought out the contact when ever she offered it.

"You're ridiculous." He muttered,.

"And yet you're going above and beyond to protect me." She said, clicking her tongue. "Could you have feelings for me Mr. Wayne?"

He covered her hand with his, tracing circles on it. "I think you know how I feel." He was surprised by her response.

"Do I?"

He looked at her in confusion. She wasn't playing; she was serious. Her face was drawn and she gave him a forced smile before glancing away. "Ororo." He said.

"I realize that...expressing your emotions isn't something you're used to." She said softly. "But...I can see your anger Talia, and the depth of it implies...that you at one point felt the opposite." She sighed. "I'm not judging you, I just want you to be honest with me."

Bruce closed his eyes. She was right. Ororo was one of the most perceptive people he knew. It was one of the things that he...he blinked in surprise. That he loved about her. "When I said earlier that Talia and I were nothing but a plot orchestrated by Ra's, I was being less than completely truthful." He sighed. "I fell in love with her and once I discovered who Ra's was, I..." He laughed bitterly. "I tried to save her. She tried to convince me to see the greatness I could achieve if I followed the righteous path Ra's had set out for us." He shook his head. "I thought if I got her out when I made my escape, with time she could realize the insanity of her father's plan." He closed his eyes. "She sounded the alarm as I tried to get us out...in the confusion." He closed his eyes. "She died in my arms. At least I thought she had."

Her fingers gently ran through his hair. "Stranger things have happened." She murmured.

"What Talia and I had was..." He couldn't the words. "It was explosive and dangerous." He sighed. "Ororo, I may not say it, or...show it much, but...I have never opened myself up to anyone in the way I do with you." He stood and pulled her hands against his chest. "I love you and it is a love built on trust and friendship and honesty." He paused. "And complete fear that one day you'll realize the horrible mistake you've made and leave."

Tears sparkled in her eyes and the warm of her smile seemed to chase the chill and emptiness of the batcave away. A hand slid to his face and she pulled his face down to hers. "That may be the most beautiful thing any man I've loved has ever said to me."

He paused just before his lips brushed hers, unable to stop the small twinge of jealousy. "What do you mean...any man?"

"Bruce." She groaned, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

"How many are we talking?" He said, an amused smile pulling at his mouth as she glared up at him. Anyone else would have been terrified and rightfully so: she was powerful beyond imagining. Not Bruce.

"I'm failing to see." She pulled away, leaving him cold at the loss of contact. "Why you would need that information." She crossed her arms and began walking to the stairs.

"Preventative measures." He said.

"Oh?" She threw over her shoulder as she began to climb them.

"You never know when this type of thing will be important." Bruce continued. She stopped abruptly and turned, about three steps above him so she was at his eye level.

"My exes aren't the ones trying to kill one of us." She said. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Give it time." He replied. She rolled her eyes and turned, he ducked to avoid being hit by her hair.

"It won't happen." She said, opening the entrance to the Batcave and walking out into the office.

"Why not?"

She turned so quickly and unexpectedly that he almost ran into her. "Because you're only asking for the details to satisfy your jealous curiosity." He was about to respond when she gave him a look. "Bruce...what happened to love built on honesty?"

He sighed. "I might be a little jealous." He admitted. She grinned.

"And for your honesty, I'll allow you to have a kiss." She pulled him back down, her lips soft and warm as they brushed his. She was gentility and grace, but when she had something she wanted, she was direct; passionate. He let her lead the first few seconds, then tightened his grip on her waist, pressing her against him. He felt slightly light headed, as though he was floating. Then he realized he was floating. She was creating an air current to buffet them a few inches off the ground. He broke away and looked down.

"Sorry." She said, dropping them to the ground. He landed on his feet and pretended to be off balance, pulling her down on top of him as he fell on the closet arm chair. "You are evil." She said, beginning to unbutton his shirt. He sat up, pulling it off and pulling her hips forward.

"How so?" He asked, , angling for another kiss. She leaned back.

"As if you've ever been clumsy in your life." She said, resting her arms on his shoulders, her fingers toying with his hair. He leaned back, pressing against them.

"To be fair, none of the women I've loved have ever been able to fly." He smirked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Pay back for earlier?" She asked. He kissed her arm, moving up towards her neck.

"Maybe." He murmured. She shivered as his teeth grazed just under her chin and leaned her head back.

"Ah." She sighed. "Bruce." She slipped her hands off his neck.

"I think I'll start," He said, thoughtfully "By making you scream that name."

"Bruce." She said more insistently. Nudging his shoulder. He looked at her in confusion. She pointed to the window. Outside, in the direction of Gotham, the Batsignal was in the sky. He closed his eyes, his duty to Gotham had always come first, but he didn't want to leave. She got up and held out her hand. "Want my help?"

"You should stay in the Manor grounds." He said, going towards the clock. She followed.

"Bruce, I'm not going to sit by and wait in the cave for you to come back." She walked over to the equipment locker and pulled out a bag. He gaped as she pulled out her X-men uniform.

"When did you have time to sneak that in here?" He asked. She gave him an enigmatic smile and didn't answer, just began changing. There was no point in arguing: she'd already won.

Bruce turned quickly, grabbing the Bat suit and trying not to get distracted by her presence behind him. Once he'd pulled the cowl over his head, he allowed himself to look at her. She was staring at him, a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised.

"You ready to ride with me?" He motioned to the Batmobile. She smothered a laugh at the sound of his voice modulator, then looked over at the car.

"It looks...small."

He knew it would be difficult for her to stay in the car for long, but he didn't want her too far from him. Logically, he knew that her powers made her more than capable of facing off against anyone, even Talia. His reasons for keeping her close were largely selfish, and though he hadn't admitted it, he suspected she was aware of that. Ororo took a steadying breath and got into the car. Bruce jumped in and drove away. As they pulled out of the cave, Bruce saw a thoughtful look enter her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing." She said. He knew her well enough not to press. It wasn't until he stopped in the city, that she finally said. "I'm driving on the way back." Before he could protest, she'd opened the door and flown out.

He shook his head and followed her out. "Absolutely not." He said, grabbing his grapple and shooting it up to the building roof next to them. She flew up beside him, amused.

"Don't like sharing your toys, Batman?"

He walked over to the Batsignal, nodding at Gordon. The commissioner glanced behind him at Ororo, who'd landed on the roof with ease and grace. "Who's your friend?" He asked, looking her up and down, his eyes zeroing in on the X. "You working with the X men?"

"Just the one." Bruce replied.

"He hasn't allowed any of the others into Gotham." Ororo supplied. Bruce glanced over at he and she met his gaze with a challenging look. "He almost didn't let me in, but I convinced him."

Bruce closed his eyes as Gordon chortled. "Storm." He growled.

"Batman?" She replied.

"I'm sure Gordon called us for a reason." He said, giving the Commissioner a significant look. The man cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from their interaction.

"Right," He said. "Hugo Strange has been running experiments on people in an underground lab near the old train station. We don't have enough evidence, for a warrant so anything you could find for us would be appreciated."

Bruce nodded and jumped over the side of the building, Ororo right behind him. As they got back into the Batmobile, he could have sworn he saw something move in the shadows of the alley, but when he looked again there was nothing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes:**

This takes place in the past.

* * *

It had been 7 weeks and, if the permanently looming dark cloud over Wayne Manor was any indication, Ororo was going a little stir crazy. Bruce sighed and got out of his car, bracing himself for the confrontation. She was in the library. Looking up from the book she was reading, she gave him a smile. "You're home; I despise you." She shut the book and crossed her arms.

He shook his head. "I love you as well." he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She was gearing up for another fight that would probably result in another hairpulling night for the meteorologists at the Gotham news stations.

"Just because you saw a few suspicious shadows doesn't mean-"

"Ororo, it's not paranoia if someone is actually trying to kill you." He cut her off. Her nostrils flared.

"I know that, but I'm a sitting duck here." She said. "It's not fair that you get to walk free, while I slowly go insane in this large empty house."

Bruce sat down next to her. "It's temporary."

"Is it?" She asked. "Haven't you ever considered that this could be Talia's plan? She knows you, Bruce. She knows that you're over protective and that your first instinct will be to keep me close by locking me up in your house." She crossed her arms. "The only outcome to this scenario is me going the way of Jack in the shining."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Interesting reference point."

Ororo glared at him. "Watch yourself, I saw an axe in the batcave."

Bruce loosened his tie. "Ororo." He groaned, running a hand over his eyes.

"I'm not going to throw my life and freedom away because of some crazy ex girlfriend." She stood and walked out. Bruce was about to say something when she walked back in. "Part of me actually thinks you enjoy this." She put her hands on her hips, glaring him. "This way I'm in a place where you can keep me completely under your control. You've never liked the fact that I was so far out of Gotham and now not only am I here; I'm trapped where you can keep track of me constantly."

Bruce looked up at her, his mouth slightly open. "Ororo, that's ridiculous." He said, angry and defensive. Ororo might not have been completely wrong, but he wasn't about to admit that. Standing, he stepped so he was a few inches from her and looked down. Ororo glared up, raising her chin. Her eyes flashed. Outside, the clouds grew darker. "Don't even think about it." he said.

"About what, Bruce?" Ororo hissed. "The thing about caging a weather witch is it has consequences."

"You're using your abilities as leverage." Bruce said.

"Leverage?" Ororo laughed, without any humor. There was another rumble of thunder. "I guess I need leverage because this is clearly a hostage negotiation."

Bruce closed his eyes. "Ororo, I-"

"Can we at least go to a restaurant for dinner tonight?" She asked. "I'm not asking for the moon."

He was about to answer when something outside the window caught his eye. "The Batsignal's up." He said, moving past her.

"How convenient." She said, following him down to the cave. "Do you and Gordon have a plan that whenever you have a relationship problem you want to avoid, he throws up the Batsignal?" She planted herself in front of him.

He hadn't done it on purpose, but he had to admit that he was grateful to the criminals of Gotham for being extra active in the past few months. He moved past her, going over to his display case and grabbing his suit. He could feel her seething behind him as he pulled his suit on.

"You know what?" Ororo said. "Talia wins. I can't do this." She turned and walked towards the bottom of the stairs leading back up to the house.

"What?" Bruce said. A small wrench of fear in his gut. She couldn't mean.

"I can't DO THIS." She said. "My entire life is at the institute. My family and I've been stuck here, counting the stalactites in this place, there's 326, by the way. There's nothing here for me."

Bruce flinched back. Stabbing would have been less painful. "Nothing?" He said, schooling his expression. Ororo looked aghast and covered her mouth.

"Bruce, I didn't mean." She reached for him, but he moved away, unable to look at her.

"I think you've said everything you need to." He said, pulling his cowl over his head and going to the batmobile.

* * *

Ororo watched him roll out of the Batcave. She hadn't meant a word of it. Her frustration had been building up and she'd snapped. His face had been so...closed off and broken. She walked out of the cave. Alfred was cleaning in the office. She wasn't fooled; he'd probably heard the beginning of the argument and was waiting to hear the after math.

"I messed up." She said.

"No you did no, Ms. Munroe." Alfred said, putting down the duster. "You are correct in your assessment of Talia's intentions. Master Bruce is singleminded and often does not see the obvious until it hits him in the face."

She sat in one of the armchairs. "that doesn't sound like Batman."

"I'm not talking about Batman." Alfred said. "I'm talking about Bruce Wayne."

She looked at him. "I told him I there was nothing here for me."

"Master Bruce is a smart man, once he cools down he'll realize you didn't mean it." Alfred said. "And he'll also realize that he isn't happy without you around." He put a hand on her arm. "I always hoped he'd find a balance between his work as Batman and the man I knew he could be. I was beginning to loose that hope...and then he met you." He smiled. "He loves you."

Echoes of a conversation long past came to her.: _"a love built on trust and friendship and honesty...And complete fear that one day you'll realize the horrible mistake you've made and leave."_

Ororo covered her face. She got up and turned back to the cave, determined to talk to Bruce. She'd swoop in, help him with his case and then he would no longer have an excuse to escape her.

"I'll be back." She said, running back down to get her uniform.

Flying over Gotham, Ororo looked around, trying to find Bruce. Ahead, a group of dark shadows appeared to be moving. She frowned and flew closer, landing about a rooftop away. Looking around, she bit back a gasp. Bruce was standing in the center of the roof...and Talia was in front of him, running a hand down the side of his face. She grit her teeth, but Talia had brought at least 20 assassin friends as backup. Bruce flinched away from Talia. Ororo edged closer, trying to hear what they were saying, but she could only hear snatches of the conversation on the wind.

"Leave...ro...lone" It sounded like Bruce.

"Oh, Bruce." Talia said. Ororo frowned. How is it that she could hear Talia clearly? "She's not worth your time."

"Well it doesn't matter any more." Bruce said. "Because you've successfully chased her away."

"Oooo." Talia said, pouting. "How tragic."

There was a noise behind Ororo. She whipped around, preparing to strike. The woman behind her held her hands up. She was wearing a black leather catsuit...literally. Her suit had cat ears and a whip wrapped around her waist that mimicked a tail. She pulled her goggles up. "I come in peace." She whispered.

"You're Catwoman." Ororo replied.

"And you're Storm." Catwoman said. "Batman's new flame." She looked over the side of the roof. "What's happening there?"

"His assassin ex girlfriend is trying to kill me." Ororo explained.

Catwoman nodded. "Sounds dangerous." She grinned, looking a lot like the chesire cat, which was probably the effect she was going for. "I want in."

"I'm hoping you don't mean helping her off me."

"Please darrrling." Catwoman purred. "If I had wanted you dead, I wouldn't be swapping pleasantries with you."

Ororo nodded and looked back at the roof. The argument was getting heated.

"I guess I should track her down." Talia said. "Teach her a lesson. After all, how dare she leave you?"

Bruce glared at her. "For someone who was so hellbent on having her do just that, you seem to be upset that she did what you wanted."

"I didn't want her gone." Talia said. "I wanted her to learn a lesson. She's not allowed to have you. She's also not allowed to walk away until I give her my permission." She turned towards the rooftop. "Luckily she's come right to me." She looked directly at Ororo and Catwoman.

"Oh dear." Ororo said.

"That's not good." Catwoman agreed. "You better split."

"And leave Bruce?" Ororo hissed.

"He can take care of himself." Catwoman hissed, grabbing her arm. "Plus she's after you." Ororo walked over to front of the rooftop. "This is going to be a disaster." She muttered covering her face.

Ororo looked down at Talia. "Hello. I believe you've been trying to kill me."

Talia moved forward, examining her. Bruce's eyes were comically wide. "Storm, you need to leave." He said.

"No, I came to tell you that I didn't mean any of things I said before you left." Ororo said. "I was angry and they just came out."

Bruce nodded. "I know."

"I'm not leaving...at least," she paused, giving him a smile. "I won't if you take me out to dinner tomorrow."

He smiled, in spite of himself. Talia looked at the two of them, fuming. Behind Ororo, Catwoman was shaking with silent laughter.

"As heartwarming as this is." Talia hissed. "I'm growing annoyed."

"My apologies." Ororo said. Her eyes went white, and thunder rumbled. She held out her hands and bolts of lightning came down from the sky. She held out her hands. "Let me make this simple; you have no right to threaten me."

Talia glared at her. "You'll never love him like I do." She pulled a syringe out of her pocket and turned to Bruce. "And I'll prove it." He moved towards her, intent on grabbing the syringe, but her plan wasn't going after Ororo. When he drew close, she stabbed him in the neck.

"NO" Ororo shouted as Bruce crumpled to the ground. She swept Talia and the other assassins off the roof with a gust of wind. Flying down next to Bruce, she picked up his head, putting it in her lap. "Bruce." she said. "Bruce." She shook him.

"Poison." Catwoman had jumped over from the other rooftop and had picked up the syringe, sniffing it. Ororo began searching through his utility belt, looking for the universal antidote he kept in there. He'd created it himself.

"Found it." She murmured, pulling out a vial. Opening Bruce's mouth, she forced the antidote into his mouth. Closing it, she prayed, please goddess don't let him die. He shuddered and his breath became more even. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and looked up at the sky. Catwoman looked at him, then over at Ororo.

"Need help bringing him back?" She asked.

Ororo shook her head. "I can fly him back." She said. "Thank you for offering." She said. "I'm Ororo."

Catwoman pulled her goggles off. "Selina." She replied. "When this one gets back on his feet, you and I should hang out." She stood. "Don't tell Bruce. He'll think I'm corrupting you."

"Too late for that, I'm afraid." Ororo said.

"I like you." Selina said, readjusting her goggles and running off of the rooftop. Ororo pulled Bruce into her arms and took off, flying back to the batcave.

"Be strong my love." She said, clutching him against her as Gotham went by beneath her. "We'll be home soon."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes:**

 **This chapter begins in the past.**

* * *

 _Ororo sat at Bruce's bed side, waiting for him to wake up. It had been 2 hours and 26 minutes since she'd administered the antidote. Alfred had helped her put him on the examination table in the batcave and given him an iv. They waited. Alfred handed her a cup of tea. She looked at him in surprise._

 _"I have an electric water heater hidden here." Alfred said. "It calms me when I have to wait."_

 _"Does it happen often?" She asked, accepting the cup and taking a sip; it was mint and warmed and helped soothe her fraying nerves._

 _Alfred was silent a moment, looking at Bruce with weariness and pain in his eyes. "More than I would like." He said, finally._

 _Bruce finally let out a deep gasp and began coughing. Ororo put down the cup and steadied him. He grabbed her arm, his eyes unfocused. "Bruce, it's me. It's Ororo."_

 _He searched her face, then relaxed. "You're alright?"_

 _Ororo nodded. "I pulled you out."_

 _Bruce sat up and pulled the iv from his arm, ignoring Alfred's sputter of protest. "And Talia?"_

 _"She's currently trying to recover being hit by a miniature tornado." Ororo said. "Why would she poison you?"_

 _"At this point I'm not sure why she would do anything." Bruce mumbled, rubbing his head. "She's completely lost. That woman on the rooftop...something about her was wrong." He closed his eyes. "I shouldn't have kept you here." He said. Ororo and Alfred looked at him in shock. "I would have died if you hadn't been there."_

 _Ororo looked up at Alfred, who raised an eyebrow. "Am I hearing him right?" She murmured out of the corner of her mouth. "Is he admitting wrong doing?"_

 _"I believe you are, Ms. Ororo." Alfred said. Bruce shook his head._

 _"What's our plan now?" Ororo said._

 _He seemed conflicted. After about half a minute Bruce came to a decision and said, "We stop playing defensive." Slowly getting to his feet, he breathed slowly and clutched the edge of the examination table. Ororo moved to steady him. "I was hoping I'd never have to make this call, but she owes me." He mumbled to himself. Looking at Ororo, he grimaced. "There's someone who can help, but she's dangerous and if I call her you'll need to stay hidden."_

 _Ororo crossed her arms. "When you call her I will use my good judgement to dictate my actions."_

 _Bruce bit his lip and glared. Ororo met his eyes, refusing to be the first to blink. "Who is she, Bruce?"_

 _"Her name is Amanda Waller." Alfred said. They both turned to look at him. "And I contacted her the moment you were poisoned. She'll be here within the hour."_

 _"You did WHAT?" Bruce shouted._

 _"Master Bruce." Alfred said, softly. "This woman has threatened your life and the life of a woman you love. She will not stop unless someone with enough influence puts her in her place."_

 _"Waller's going to know it's personal." Bruce growled. "She's going to hold it over my head."_

 _"Amanda Waller." Ororo said. "Who is she?"_

 _"She's the director of ARGUS." Bruce said. Ororo stepped back in alarm. ARGUS had launched an internal investigation against mutants that had attempted to put them on a watchlist. Bruce had to know that._

 _"And you trust her?" She asked, curling her fists._

 _"No." Bruce said. "Which is why you need to stay hidden. I can spin this so there's no need for her to know about your involvement."_

 _Ororo crossed her arms. "How?"_

 _He shook his head and turned away to begin taking off his Bat Suit. "I'll figure something out."_

 _Ororo considered her options. Waller was dangerous, but her involvement might just give them the edge they needed against Talia and her remaining assassins. "I'll stay down here." She said. "Make sure Waller gets her."_

* * *

Talia al Ghul sat in her cell in the basement of the ARGUS base. Meditating she let herself focus on the one thing that brought her peace; the image of Ororo Munroe's broken body while she and her intended embraced in her blood. She was so entranced that she didn't hear the first screams. There was a thumping noise outside her cell and suddenly the door opened. She watched with curiosity as a man with long black hair and a very large automatic weapon and tool belt to rival her intended's utility belt entered. "Are you Talia al Ghul?" He asked.

She simply looked at him. Impressive display aside, she didn't answer to just anyone. He glared at her.

"Are you Talia al Ghul?" He repeated.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Forge." He said. "And I believe that you and I have something in common."

Talia sniffed and looked him up and down. What could they possibly have in common? He held out a picture. She frowned and snatched it away from him. Ororo Munroe and her intended were standing together wearing fancy clothing, probably at a gala. They seemed oblivious of the fact that they'd been photographed, instead their attention was riveted on a small boy in Bruce's arms. A boy who resembled him. She crumpled the photograph and looked up at Forge. "I want her dead." She hissed.

"Unfortunately I want her." Forge said. "Let's make a deal; you help me and we try to not kill the other's lover."

"And the boy?" Talia asked.

Forge shrugged. "I have no use for him."

A smile curled on Talia's lips. "Neither do I."


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce heard laughter when he returned home from work. He frowned as he got out of the car. Alfred came down the steps. "What's going on?" He asked.

"I suppose it is a rather unusual sound for this house, Master Bruce." Alfred agreed. "Mrs. Ororo and young Master Bakari are out back." He held out his hand. "Would you like me to drive the car to the garage?" Bruce smiled; Alfred loved fancy vintage car and him asking was less about his duties as a butler and more that he wanted to drive the old silver '55 Mercedes.

"If it's not too much trouble, Alfred." He said, handing him the keys, before starting to walk along the edge of the Manor. The air was crisp and cool. He inhaled, trying to calm himself down. Suddenly a laugh sounded through the grounds. As he rounded the corner, he had to jump back to avoid being hit by a flying pack of mud. He frowned as it landed at his feet, then looked up. It had rained the night before so the ground was soft. Ororo and Bakari were playing in a patch of dirt where the flowers would grow in the spring. There some toys lying around and the slick shine of the grass directly around them told him that it had rained more recently in that particular area...and that the rain had a more local source. Ororo was splattered in mud, but Bakari was covered in it. He was bent over, grabbing two handfuls, clearly gearing up to toss them at his mother.

They hadn't noticed him yet so contented himself to watch them. Every throw Bakari made Ororo would jump out of the way. He noted that she wasn't dodging as well as she usually would. "So close." she said, clapping her hands as Bakari giggled. He threw one of the handfuls of dirt and it hit her straight in the chest. She covered it and pretended to swoon, falling to the ground.

Bakari turned and caught sight of Bruce. "Dad." He said, grinning from ear to ear. Bruce froze, overwhelmed by the meaning behind that simple one syllable word. As a result he wasn't paying attention to Bakari's second hand of mud...until it hit him in the side. He looked down at it, then over at Bakari. He was clapping his hands.

Ororo had sat up. "Bakari." She gasped, getting to her feet. "Your father's wearing his work clothes."

Bruce pulled off his suit jacket and tie, abandoning them on the ground. He walked forward, and knelt next to Bakari. "I can't help noticing." He whispered. "That your mother doesn't have that much mud on her." He straightened up. Ororo backed up slowly as they advanced on her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, smiling nervously.

Bruce lunged and grabbed her around the waist. She tried to take off, but he held fast and they both crashed to the ground. "I've got her, Bakari." He said.

"No." Ororo said, laughing and struggling. They rolled around in the mud, as Bakari picked up more handfuls of mud and tossed them on them.

Breathless and grinning, they walked back up to the Manor. Bakari on Bruce's shoulders, leaning down to reach for his mother's hand. Ororo paused at that door. "Alfred's going to be mad."

"Alfred's secretly wanted to seethe about children tracking in mud for years." Bruce said. "Let's not disappoint him." He pushed open the door. The happy expressions on their faces died as they caught sight of a visitor in one of the chairs. Logan had his feet on one of the coffee tables and was lighting a cigar.

"LOGAN!" Bakari said, squirming and reaching for him. Bruce lifted him off his shoulders and put him on the ground. Bakari rushed over and jumped in Logan's lap.

"Hey, little slug." He ruffled his hair, and looked up at Ororo. "Hi, Ro."

"No smoking around my son." Ororo said, walking over to him and taking his cigar away from him.

"I missed you too." Logan said.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked. "Besides destroying my furniture." Logan looked him up and down, frowning at the mud on Bruce's clothes.

"I came to warn you." He replied, looking directly at Ororo. "There was an attack on the institute yesterday."

"What?" Ororo said. "I need to-"

"Stay here." Logan anticipated her answer and cut her off. "Everyone's okay, but you need to stay here." He reached into his pocket and pulled a mangled piece of tech and a note out and tossed it on the table. Bruce picked it up and examined it.

"It's a neutralizer." He said. "Forge."

Ororo reached for the note. Holding it in her hand, she read it. Outside clouds began to form, dark and threatening. Her hand shook and she dropped the note. "He says that I've had my fun playing house, but it's time to grow up now and let go of my baby doll...unless I want it to get broken."

Alfred walked into the room, took one look at the situation and discerned that something was wrong. "I shall take Master Bakari for his bath."

Logan put Bakari on the ground and the toddler walked over to Alfred and took his hand. Alfred walked him out the door. Ororo watched them leave, then looked at Logan. "What do you know about the attack?"

"They entered over the south wall." Logan said.

"They?" Bruce said.

Logan nodded. "That's where it gets worse. Your crazy ex; the one who tried to kill Ro. She was with Forge."

"Impossible." Bruce said. "Talia's locked in an ARGUS prison vault."

"And yet." Logan leaned back in the chair, putting his hands behind his head. "I saw her. Which is why I'm here. Someone needs to look out for Ro and the little one."

"They've got me." Bruce said.

"For now." Logan muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bruce glared down at him. Logan stood and matched his anger filled look.

"Just that Ro'll wise up soon and leave you again because you're not going to change. Not even for her."

"Logan." Ororo said.

Bruce scoffed. "And I suppose you're the one who's going to look out for her. Remind me how well that worked last time?" It was a low blow and Logan's eyes flashed. There was sound like sliding metal and his claws were out.

"Watch yourself, bub."

"ENOUGH." The word was punctuated by a clap of thunder. Ororo was glaring at them. "Someone is threatening my son. I don't have time for your measuring contest. So stow your egos until after we've dealt with them." She looked at Bruce. "Contact Waller, find out what happened with Talia." She turned to Logan. "I need to talk to the professor and I need a complete rundown of what happened at the institute." She waited as they gaped at her. "NOW."

* * *

Ororo was sitting up in bed, looking over the footage from the attack on the institute for what felt like the hundredth time when Bruce came in, fuming.

"Apparently Talia was broken out 25 hours ago, but Waller didn't think to contact me." He looked down at the computer. "Is that the footage?"

Ororo nodded, absentmindedly. "Rogue managed to get close enough to Talia to touch her and absorb some of her fighting abilities. I talked to her; she didn't get enough to pinpoint a location of where they might be hiding." She looked up. "Logan's staying and I think we should switch the room we sleep in with Bakari. I'm assuming Talia knows the layout of the manor." She looked over at Bruce who frowned.

"I never brought her here, but it's safe to assume she found a way to get her hands on the blueprints." He murmured, rubbing his eyes. "It's a good plan." He sighed. "Any leads on the mutant kidnappings?"

"The professor's reached out to some of our contacts who don't live at the institute and put them on alert." Ororo replied. She looked up at Bruce. "If either of them lay a hand on our son...I'm terrified of what I'll do." She still felt the guilt over those she'd killed in Mojoworld and yet...she knew that if threatened again, she had no way of predicting how she'd react. Bruce sat next to her and pulled her against him.

"You won't be alone this time." He said.

"True." Ororo said, letting herself relax. "I've got Logan." She laughed as Bruce let out a small growling noise. "Is he really such a threat to you?" She sighed when he didn't answer. "Bruce. Logan is family. He doesn't like you because he doesn't like any of the men in my life. And Jubilee's life. And Rogue's life. And Kitty's life. And-"

"I get the point." Bruce muttered.

"You should still apologize." Ororo said. "If we're facing off against Forge and Talia, we need a united front."

Bruce exhaled. "I'll apologize...if he does."

Ororo rolled her eyes. "Oh he will. I won't give him a choice."


	13. Chapter 13

Talia pulled the burner phone out of her pocket and dialed the only number programmed in it. "Who is this?" She demanded. Forge was busy building an exo suit to fae off against Batman and ignored her as she left his lab.

"The person responsible for your early parole."

Talia hissed as she recognized the voice. "Waller."

"Yes." Waller agreed. "I wanted you to know that there's a very specific reason that I allowed Forge to remove you from my care."

"And that is?" Talia asked.

"I need the boy." Waller said. "Alive."

"What?" Talia was seething.

"Bruce Wayne and Ororo Munroe-Wayne's son." Waller explained. "He needs to survive this."

Talia laughed. "And why would I ever do that for you."

"Because I placed a bomb in your spine." Waller said. "If you defy me or attempt to remove it I will detonate. If it harm comes to that boy, I will detonate."

Talia felt sick. "I will tear it out."

"Won't make a difference." Waller said simply. "If it's tampered with it'll self destruct."

"Why me?" Talia asked. "Why not ask Forge?"

"Because he does not have it in him to harm the boy. The biggest threat to him is you." Waller replied. "And because while I need Bakari Wayne, I have no need for his mother to tear apart the weather system looking for him."

A cruel smile curled Talia's lips. "That I can do." She said.

* * *

Bruce silently waited for the two women to hang up before disconnecting the line. He'd put a bug in Waller's phone lines years ago and while he'd always known it was a good idea, he never knew how much it would pay off. He ran the new information through his mind. Waller had released Talia and she needed Bakari...for what? Because he was likely a mutant? Because she needed leverage? And why specify that Ororo need to be killed and not him? Surely she had to know that he'd be just as dedicated to finding anyone who kidnapped his son? He got up and left the Batcave.

Alfred was in the dining room clearing up the diner dishes.

"Where's Ororo?" He asked.

"She is upstairs." Alfred said. "I believe it was her intention to give young master Bakari a bath."

Bruce nodded. "And Logan?"

"He went to patrol the perimeter." Alfred said. "Which I believe is code for smoke a cigar."

Bruce nodded and made his way to the stairs. Going into the bathroom he paused in the doorway, looking down at Ororo who was kneeling next to the tub. Bakari was covered in soap and was slapping the surface of the bath water. He looked up and grinned when he caught sight of Bruce. "Dad." He said. Ororo looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to help or do you plan on standing there and letting me do all the work?" She asked, moving so there was more space for him next to her on the rug, grabbing the wash cloth Ororo handed him, he turned his attention to Bakari...only to get a face full of bath water. He coughed and wiped his mouth as Ororo cover her mouth and turned away from him.

"I suppose you think it's funny." He said. "That he's become a water splashing delinquent?"

Ororo shrugged. "What can I say? I've been splashed more times than I can count. It's only fair that you share in the pain." She reached up and pushed a few strands of wet hair out of his face. Bakari used their distraction as an opportunity to escape the tub. Running out of the door Bruce had left open he darted down the hall. Bruce got to his feet, glancing at Ororo, he asked. "I suppose you're not going to help me catch him?"

"You'd be correct." Ororo said. "I had to chase him all over the institute ever since he could walk."

Bruce sighed and followed the wet footsteps on the carpeted floor. On the way he passed Alfred. "You wouldn't happen to have seen my son, short, black hair and an obvious aversion to clothes?"

Alfred pointed towards the living room, an amused smile tugging at his lips. Bruce went in the direction he'd indicated. Bakari was hiding behind the couch, giggling. Bruce played along.

"I wonder where he could possibly be." He said, looking behind one of the sofas. "Where could he be hiding?" He checked underneath a chair. "In the piano?" He opened the top of the piano. "I can't imaging where he is." He pretended to be upset and sat heavily on the couch Bakari was hiding behind, letting out a loud sigh. "I can't find him." He said mournfully. "Why can't I find him?"

Bakari climbed over the top of the couch and hugged him. Bruce smiled, looking at him. "We need to get you back to the tub." He said, putting his arm around him and standing, carrying Bakari back. "Your mother did such a good job cleaning you and then you ran through this dusty house." He tutted. "Second bath for you."

Bakari frowned and shook his head.

"Do you think that look's going to convince me?" Bruce asked, opening the door to the bathroom. "I'm the expert on unhappy faces. You're not going to break me." He put Bakari back in the water.

* * *

Ororo was almost asleep when Bruce slid into bed next to her. "How is he?" She murmured.

"Asleep." Bruce said. "Logan's got first watch. I'll take middle."

"Hm." Ororo said, moving over and settling in closer to him.

"There's something I need tell you." His voice was serious. She forced her eyes open, alert and worried.

"What is it?"

He explained the conversation between Talia and Waller.

"She knew?" Ororo hissed. "And she helped her escape?"

Bruce nodded.

"Why would she need Bakari?"

"He's half mutant." Bruce said.

Ororo froze. She knew what Bruce was suggesting. "That isn't ethical. She'd never authorize testing on a child."

"Mutant powers don't emerge until puberty." Bruce said. "If she captures him...she can study him and-"

"Stop." She held out her hand to silence him. Outside lightning struck the grounds.

"Ororo, Mutants have been disappearing-"

"Forge was selling them to Mojo." Ororo said.

"We know he sold Azazel to Mojo." Bruce corrected. "Mojo's dead and there were three more transactions on his account. She's..." He stopped. He was planning something, Ororo knew it.

"Bruce, what is it?"

"I just can't lose either of you." He said.


	14. Chapter 14

Bruce waited until Ororo had fallen asleep to get up. He'd meant it; he wasn't going to lose them. He wasn't going to let anyone take them from him. There was also something that didn't add up. Waller might be a lot of things. She might toe the line between immoral and unforgivable, but he'd never known her to cross it. He'd get the information out of her, one way or the other.

* * *

Amanda Waller was walking out of her office in the Pentagon. Going to her car, she froze as she put her hand on the door. Glancing around she shook her head and opened it. She drove away. After 15 minutes of driving, she pulled over to the side of the road. "You could have just called."

Batman's head rose from the backseat. "I don't tend to make appointments with people who threaten my wife and son." He growled.

Waller knew that at some point this confrontation was coming, she just hadn't thought that it would be so soon. "You don't understand what I'm trying to do."

"I fail to see what murdering Ororo and kidnapping my son could achieve." He was livid. She didn't deny the accusation. Lying would only make him more angry."

"Ororo's death isn't necessary." Amanda admitted. "But her nature makes her too unpredictable."

"You don't know her nature." Bruce growled. "And my family are not pawns in your game. And don't bother activating that distress beacon, I disabled all 4 before I got in this car."

Waller cursed his resourcefulness. She'd been reaching to activate the beacon. Turning she glared at him. "You're messing with things bigger than you."

"You were planning on kidnapping my son to run experiments on him." His hands gripped the seat. "He's 2 years old. You've gone too far."

Waller reached under her chair.

"Your gun's gone too." He said through gritted teeth.

"You won't kill me." She said. "You've come here to talk."

"So start talking." He hissed.

Waller said. "I'm not going to use Bakari-"

"Don't say his name." Bruce interrupted. Waller sighed and began again.

"I am not going to use your son for experiments."

"I suppose you've got live adult subjects for that."

Waller frowned. "What do you mean?"

"So you're denying having Forge kidnap mutants for you?"

Waller laughed. "Forge doesn't work for me, I admit to using Talia and pushing him to free her, but I've never had direct contact with him." She leaned back in her seat.

"He's been receiving payments from a department under yours." Bruce said. "Something called..." He paused. "Cadmus."

Waller fought to keep her expression from betraying anything, but she could see the gleam of triumph in his eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. How could he possibly know about Cadmus?

"I'm not in charge of that department." She said.

"They work for you." He said.

"Yes and while their cheif scientist reports to me, I let him have autonomy."

"Well that was a mistake." He said simply. "You come near my family, and I'll release all my information about the skeletons ARGUS has in it's closet."

Waller turned to look at him. He was being serious. "That's not like you Bruce." She said. "It's reckless and there are too many ways for it to go wrong. Your family has made you sloppy."

"That's why you're threatening them, isn't it." He said and Waller realized she'd tipped her hand. "You don't like the way I operate when I'm around them so you decided to eliminate the problem."

"The world needs Batman." She said.

"I'm still here." He replied.

"But for how long?" Waller hissed. "You're not as young as you once were. It takes longer for you to recover from injuries, you need more rest, you aren't able to pull off long night runs. Every time you come up against one of your enemies, do you notice how much harder it's gotten?"

He remained silent, but she knew she'd hit a nerve.

"You want him because you want to mold him into an ideal Batman." He said finally. "One that you could control."

"We've toyed with the idea before; with mutants coming out of the woodwork it became necessary to take more drastic precautions. Batman stands as proof that an ordinary human with no advanced abilities can still achieve great things."

"So why not train one of the many soldiers you have at your disposal." Bruce growled. "Why take my son?"

"Because he is your son."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. "And you think that's what makes the difference."

"I know it is."

"One small problem." He growled. "Your unenhanced champion's mother is a mutant."

"That's easily corrected." Waller replied.

"What?" Bruce growled.

"I think this conversation's over." Waller said. "It's been nice catching up, but you need to leave now."

"I'm not done here." Bruce said.

"But I am." Waller pulled the gun she kept in her suit pocket out and pointed it at his throat. "You may have disabled my alarms and removed the guns in my car, but did you seriously think I wouldn't have one on me? Sloppy, Bruce."

He didn't even flinch. Leaning back as though it were his car he gave her a small smile. Something was wrong, but Waller pressed on.

"You won't kill me." She said.

"You're right." Bruce said. " _I_ won't." There was a screech of metal on metal and a hole was ripped open in the ceiling of the car by metal claws. Waller looked up into the angry face of Wolverine. "But I can't say the same about him. I've got more questions Waller, and you're going to answer them." He pulled the gun out of her hands. "What?" He said. "Did you seriously think I wouldn't have a backup plan?"

* * *

 **Notes:**

Amanda Waller's actions here aren't out of character. Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond was turned into Bruce Wayne's son using Nanotechnology that she injected into him. She went as far as almost recreating the murder of Bruce's parents so that Terry would have the emotional push to become Batman. She didn't go through with it and Terry became Batman on his own, but she was still willing to do it.


	15. Chapter 15

Ororo woke to an empty bed. She sat up, looking around. "Bruce?" She said, getting up, running toward the door. The nursery was the next door over. She wrenched it open and froze in horror in the doorway; the crib was empty. She rushed to the crib, gripping the side, her chest constricting. How? When? Where was Bakari and where was Bruce? The sky went dark and lightning streaked across the clouds, winds picking up so fiercely that the manor shook. They'd had a schedule in place; there was always supposed to be someone on guard with him. How could this have happened? Her vision went white.

"RO." Logan shouted. She heard him running into the room.

"Ororo, it's okay." Bruce followed. He stood next to her, pressing Bakari into her arms, holding him between them. "We're here. Everything's fine." She blinked, wrapping her arms around them both, squeezing them as hard as she could. Bakari squirmed. "We took him downstairs to get breakfast." Bruce continued, running a hand through her hair. "We didn't want to disturb you." He was wearing his batsuit with his cowl off. She frowned, why had he felt the need to go out on patrol?

Logan sat in a chair, looking smug. Something had happened; they were keeping something from her.

"What happened?" She asked.

Bruce and Logan shared a look. Bruce put down Bakari and walked over to the door. "Alfred." He called out. Alfred came in, looked around the room and grimaced.

"I take it you are about to inform Mrs. Wayne of you and Mr. Logan's excursion last night." Alfred said. Bruce nodded as Logan grunted in amusement at 'Mr. Logan'. "I assume I should take young master Bakari out of shouting range?"

Ororo's eyes narrowed. "What did the two of you do?"

Bruce's lips curled as he shot Alfred a glare. "Thank you, Alfred." He said, urging the two of them out. Shutting the door, he turned and rubbed the back of his head. "I had hoped to have you in a better mood before we told you." He said. Ororo put her hands on her hips.

"Explain." She said. "Now."

Bruce looked over at Logan.

"She's your wife bub." Logan said, pulling a cigar from his pocket. "One of the benefits of being single is I don't gotta explain myself to anyone." He put the cigar in his mouth. "I'm my own man."

"Logan if you light that thing I will tear it from your mouth and use it to perform a prostate exam." She threw an angry glance over her shoulder. Logan sheepishly took the cigar out of his mouth and stood.

"I'll be outside." He mumbled, leaving the room. Bruce shot a glare after him before taking a deep breath and launching into an explanation.

"We got some explanations from Waller." He explained. Ororo's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean, 'got some explanations'?" She growled. "Is Waller going to be found in a shallow grave?"

"No." Bruce was horrified. "Do you honestly think that I would be capable of that?"

"You involved Logan and he is." Ororo said.

"Waller is a government official; I was never going to kill her, but she didn't know that or that Logan would leave her be." Bruce said. "And she revealed some...interesting things."

"What?"

"Well firstly she wasn't behind the Mutant kidnappings, but a lab under her run by a Dr. Trask was. It's called project Cadmus." Bruce paused. "They managed to create some sort of suppressant for the mutant gene, but it only works before a child reaches puberty."

"Which is why she wanted Bakari..." Ororo murmured. Bruce nodded, but he was unusually stiff. He was holding something back. "Bruce." She said.

"It's not important." He muttered.

"What does she want with our son?" Ororo's voice rose. Bruce raked a hand through his hair.

"She wanted Batman...but one she could control." He said. "So she wants to mold Bakari into the perfect Batman."

"And she intends to test the mutant suppressant on him to make sure he remainss human." Ororo said, her hands clenching. "She's-"

"Not our primary concern." Bruce said. "There's an abandoned Cadmus lab, Waller sent me the location. It's near where Talia's bomb implant is transmitting from. We go in fast and take them out."

Ororo smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"For Xavier to pick up Bakari." Bruce said. "The X-jet should be landing right about..." There was a sound of a plane landing outside the Manor. "Now." Bruce motioned outside. The jet was on the front lawn. Jean and Scott were getting out, being greeted by Logan and Alfred. Ororo ran down the stairs, Bruce hot on her heels. Bakari was looking confused at the jet in front of him. He turned and looked at his parents.

"Why?" He asked.

"It's only for a little bit." Ororo knelt in front of him and hugged him. "Your father and I have to take care of something so you're going to stay with Grandpa Charles." She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Everything will be alright." She closed her eyes, not wanting to let go. Bruce knelt next to them, pulling them into his arms.

"Come back." Bakari said. Bruce nodded.

"You'll be home soon."


	16. Chapter 16

Scared.

Angry.

He could feel these things radiating from mommy and dad as they put him on the flying machine with auntie Jean. Scared. Wrong. He didn't want to go, he didn't want them to do what they were going to do. Bad. The air around him felt bad, just like when mommy disappeared or when she was upset He cried and tried to pull himself out of Auntie Jean's arms as she carried him onto the jet. He wanted to stay with his parents.

SShh, Bakari. Auntie Jean's voice was trying to soothe him. He put his hands on the sides of his head, screaming. The door to the airplane closed. He fought Jean as she strapped him into a seat. He screamed as the plane took off, crying all the way to the institute. He wanted to go back.

"What's happening?" Grandpa Zaver was suddenly there and Bakari was being lifted into his lap.

"Wolverine, Storm and Batman went to take down Talia and Forge." Auntie Jean replied. Grandpa Zaver put a hand to Bakari's forehead. He began feeling sleepy. He tried to stay awake.

Your parents are fine. Grandpa Zaver was calm. They will come for you soon.

Bakari tried to move away from Zaver. He was making him tired and he wanted to be awake when his parents came back.

"Mom." He said.

"She will be here soon." Zaver said, his voice sounding far away as Bakari fell asleep.

* * *

He was alone in a dark room when he woke up. Pushing the bars of his crib, he screamed, trying to get someone's attention. No one came. Crying, he sat back down. Where was everyone? Why was he alone?

He didn't know how long it was but outside his door came loud voices.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Mr. Wa-"

"I need to see my son."

The door opened and the Bat was standing in the door way. Bakari reached for him, through the bars of his crib. Mommy said the Bat was good and that the Bat helped people.

* * *

Bruce looked at Bakari's wide eyed expression as he opened the door to his room. He could hear Jean behind him, but he ignored her. Bakari reached for him and within two seconds he crossed the room, pulling him up and into his arms. Bakari tugged at the cowl, pushing it up. "Dad?"

He nodded. "I'm here."

Bakari, slumped forward, hugging his neck, pressing his face into Bruce's shoulder. "Mom?"

"She's..." How could he begin to explain what had happened. "She's with uncle Hank right now. She's sleeping."

Bakari leaned back, frowning. Bruce's stomach dropped, because he recognized that calculating look in his eyes. It was identical to what Ororo called his "brooding face" the look he got when there was a painful truth in front of him. "She's sick." It wasn't a question.

"How do you know that?" Bruce asked.

"Uncle Hank helps when people are sick." Bakari explained. Bruce pressed his forehead against Bakari's. There was no point in lying to him. It was too painful to take away a piece of his innocence, especially because he knew too well how it felt to have that piece of himself torn away.

"Your mommy needs some sleep." Bruce said. "She'll be okay." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. "She'll be okay."

* * *

About an hour later, Hank came into the room. Bruce was sitting in the corner with Bakari on his lap. Seeing Hank, he sat up, trying not to disturb Bakari. "Well?" His voice was raspy and low. Bakari stirred, but didn't wake. Hank gave him a grim smile.

"She is recovering." He said. "It will take her a few days to get out of bed."

Bruce relaxed. "Thank goodness." He murmured.

"I trust that those who did this to her-" Hank began.

"Are in the darkest cell I could find." Bruce growled, thinking of the mad glint of joy in Talia's eyes as she stabbed Ororo.

"She's lucky." Hank remarked. "A centimeter to the right and you and I would be having a very different conversation." Bruce's brow furrowed.

"That's the thing." He said. "She should have been able to dodge, but...it seemed she was off balance."

Hank nodded. "In her condition, it's not surprising."

"Condition?" Bruce said.

"Well the change in her weight distribution would cause a shift in her ability to create wind currents to buoy her. It's early so the change was so minute, she probably didn't notice herself-"

"Hank." Bruce held up a hand, knowing Beast well enough to realize that, unimpeded, he would ramble on for hours before getting to the point. "What are you trying to say?"

Hank smirked. "There's one other time she experienced this type of imbalance." He glanced down at Bakari. "As her doctor, I can inform you, Mr. Wayne, that it will be a long time indeed before this problem goes away. But you should expect to begin to see her regain her balance in...9 months."

Bruce stood, unable to contain his excitement. "Are you sure?"

Hank nodded. "She is sleeping." He warned, as Bruce walked to the door.

"We won't wake her." Bruce said. "I want to be there when she wakes up." He looked down at Bakari, who was miraculously still asleep. "I think we both do."

* * *

Ororo felt a weight at her side. Looking over, she saw Bakari curled against her. Bruce was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching them. He was still wearing his Batman uniform.

"Did you sleep?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I was watching you breathe." He replied, his voice a hushed whisper as to not wake Bakari. "I was worried that if I didn't keep watching, you'd stop."

Ororo smiled, putting one hand on Bakari's head and reaching out the other for Bruce.

"I think..." She glanced at her bandaged chest. "I...I need to talk to Hank." She'd tried to get away from Talia's sword, but she'd been unstable, the winds not responding to her as they usually did. She had a suspicion, but she needed confirmation.

"The baby" Bruce pull off his gloves and took her hand in his, leaning down to press a kiss to it, before rubbing his thumb in circles over the back. "Is fine."Ororo felt her throat close.

"Really?" She asked. He nodded. "Bruce, I didn't know."

"I believe you." He said. "But Logan might have a harder time extending you the same courtesy." Ororo grinned, looking around the hospital room. He couldn't have gone far.

"Where is he?"

"Overseeing Talia and Forge being locked up." Bruce grimaced. "Forge...well he's going to have to be hospitalized first." Ororo raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't me." He said, defensively.

"I know. But you were supposed to be watching him." She said sternly. Bruce laughed.

"I've already got a kid." He looked at Bakari, who was pressing his face against Ororo's side. There was a small smirk on his lips. Bruce shook his head. "And he is completely asleep right now." There was a muffled giggle as Bakari pushed his mouth into the blanket to hide his laughter. Ororo shook her head, yawning. Concern crossed Bruce's face and he reached to pull Bakari off the bed.

"No." She said. "Let him stay." She needed to have him close. She needed them both here. "You'll be there when I wake up again?"

He nodded.

"One more thing." She murmured as she closed her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"I get to tell Alfred." She heard Bruce's small cough of surprise and could have sworn she heard him mumble "we'll see" as she fell asleep.

* * *

"Mrs. Wayne." Alfred was beaming as Bruce rolled her off the X-jet in the wheelchair that he and Hank insisted was necessary for her recovery. He stumbled back as Bakari ran ahead of his parent as and launched himself at the butler, hugging him around the legs.

"Alfred." She smiled warmly. "Kindly tell my husband that I can walk by myself."

"Alfred, tell my wife that you agree with me." Bruce kissed her forehead.

"I am afraid that it is true, Mrs. Wayne." Alfred managed to detangle one leg from Bakari's grasp and shuffled forward, pulling the toddler along with him. "You need your rest."

"And how do you propose we get around all those pesky stairs?" Ororo said. Alfred glanced down at Bakari.

"There's a fresh baked batch of cookies in the kitchen." Bakari's eyes widened and he ran into the manor.

"I could carry you." Bruce said. Ororo smirked, looking at Alfred.

"Alfred, please ask my husband how he intends to get around the back pain that the weight is going to cause him." Ororo said.

Alfred raised an eyebrow, "weight, Mrs. Wayne?"

"The weight that I'll be gaining over the next 9 months." Ororo said matter of factly.

Alfred's jaw dropped.

"It's true, Alfred." Bruce sighed. "I'm afraid she's going to be extremely round and she's going to ask for weird foods at all times of night."

"Okay, I think he gets the point, Bruce." Ororo said, taking his hand.

Alfred cleared his throat, smiling.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Wayne."

Bruce cleared his throat. "I had something to do with it too."

"Your part is over." Alfred said, turning to the house. "I will have some workers come over tomorrow to make sure the manor is babyproof." He smiled at Ororo again before turning and going into the house. Bruce looked down at her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Ororo leaned her cheek against his hand. "I'm home."


End file.
